


Through Oblivion

by Starstruck_MJ



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Amnesia, Angst, F/M, Maybe a bit more, Mild Gore, Multi, Nalu - Freeform, Natsu Dragneel/Lucy Heartfilia Fluff, Other, Protective Natsu Dragneel, Torture, havent decided yet - Freeform, injured lucy heartfilia, nalu angst, post AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-22
Updated: 2020-01-26
Packaged: 2020-09-24 07:37:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 22,137
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20354797
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Starstruck_MJ/pseuds/Starstruck_MJ
Summary: It only took one bad mission. Now, Lucy is suffering drastic consequences, both physically and mentally, and dark forces are on the move. She's been tortured and left devoid of any memories of her past. But somehow, Natsu still makes her feel safe, and he's determined for her to recover. But through the oblivion, can she remember what he means to her? And can he protect her from the coming darkness?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! welcome to "Through Oblivion"! This was an angsty idea I had a while ago, and while I'm still struggling with writers' block for BD, I wanted to get rolling with this :) It is set 1 year post-au, so if you havent finished the manga, there will be spoilers ahead! The 100yq sequel is null and void for the purpose of this story. Lucy is around 21, for those of you wondering, and everyone else is aged as such too.  
This first chapter is being uploaded for Mati's birthday- i hope you enjoy it :) have a lovely birthday ! As for the rest of the chapters, I will (hopefully) be updating every 2 weeks, on Thursdays.
> 
> Without much further ado, since i have been teasing some of you with snippets, lets begin!
> 
> I hope you enjoy <s> and i hope you like angst </s>

**** _ Pain.  _

That was the first thing she became aware of. The next thing was the dark, cold room she found herself in. Her head pounded. Everything before her bleary eyes looked out of focus. Her eyes fell shut again. She didn't know where she was, or how she ended up in the small cell. She could feel the pain radiating through her, particularly down her limbs and she groaned loudly.

She rolled her head to the side, slowly forcing her eyes open. She cringed when she heard her matted and sticky hair peeling from the stone floor. That explained why her head pounded at least.

She struggled to focus her vision, listlessly gazing at the wall. It was a few moments before she realised there was something written in red on the dark stone. 

'Lucy ♡

Be sure to call them back,

Or we'll get angry again ♡!'

A shiver ran involuntarily up her spine. The message promised more abuse and seemed as though the antagonist may be happy about it.

But more than that, something else was really bothering her.

' _ Lucy… _ '

She should know that name. It was achingly familiar. Too familiar. Why was it written on a wall right where only she would read it? It struck her that the message was left for  _ her _ . 

She was Lucy? ' _ Surely _ ', she thought, ' _ I would remember my own name _ ' and then she was struck with horror.

She couldn't recall a single thing.

.

Meanwhile, back in Magnolia, in the Fairy Tail guildhall, a certain dragon slayer sat sulking at the bar. He was lamenting the absence of his blonde partner. She had shown him the flier, requesting a holder-type mage, and told him it would pay enough for her rent and bills.

He'd brushed it off, saying it would be boring, 'c'mon, Luce! Let's go fight a monster! I'll find ya a mission that'll pay double that, we can look in the morning!'

She'd pouted in that adorable way, and Natsu had thought he'd seen a strange sad glint in her eyes, but she'd soon been grinning with him, and then his attention was lost to an all-out guild brawl.

Lucy had done a few solo mission as of late. He had asked her to do a mission with him again, it just wasn’t the same ‘Team Natsu’ without Lucy. He didn’t know how else to put it. Her face had lit up at the idea of doing a mission together, eagerly agreeing that it had been a while.

But the mission flier that she’d shown him just sounded… boring. Too plain and simple. Sure, Lucy was perfect for it. But he thought that the two of them could do better than that. Lucy deserved something at her skill level.

It didn’t matter though. He'd been so wrapped up fighting that somehow he'd missed her leaving. 

So now, nursing a flaming whiskey, he sat grumbling and sulking at the bar. Sage coloured eyes flicked up at the sound of giggling. Mirajane smiled sweetly at him from where she was drying glasses. 

'Why so glum, Natsu?' Her blue eyes sparkled with mischief. No doubt she was planning something in that matchmaking mind of hers. Natsu groaned, dropping his forehead onto the wooden surface.

‘Could it be that you’re missing a certain celestial wizard?’ She slinked closer, after finishing drying the glass of course, and leaned on the bar to grin at him, ‘You’re never this upset when anyone else leaves for solo missions!’

Natsu lifted his head, just enough to blow a defiant wisp of flame in the barmaid’s direction. She knew good and well that he’d been sulking every time Lucy left to go solo and his mood got worse each time.

This was his biggest mope yet.

‘Oh, c’mon Mira!’ both turned their heads to find Cana cackling on top of a nearby bench, ‘The poor kid’s just discovering puberty! Maybe save the teasing until he gets it’ The brunette winked salaciously.

Mira chuckled, ‘I’m only trying to help him realise that they’re perfect together!’

Natsu growled at the two women, feeling a strange heat rising in his cheeks.

‘ _ Must be the Whiskey _ .’ he thought, glowering and taking another swig from his glass. It had been a while since alcohol had really struck him, that was for sure. Normally, his magic just burned it off before it could intoxicate him.

Today, however, he’d expelled almost all his magic energy after realising Lucy had left for the mission. He couldn’t help it, he had this impulse and just wanted to burn  _ something _ . He had taken off to brood in the woods outside Magnolia, after visiting Lucy’s apartment and finding an apologetic note addressed to him in Lucy’s cursive handwriting. Flames had licked his biceps and burst at his heels as he stomped around, and then there was a boulder. It was in his way. So, naturally, he took out his anger on it. And the surrounding environment, all before giving up and heading in the direction of guild, hoping to mope and drink in peace.

His magical outburst was based on something his conscious mind had yet to accept, but and instinctual part of him had begun to hoard the pretty blonde. That primal part of him had broken loose, only for an instant and his finely-tuned control over his flames, and subsequently his temper, had ruptured.

His attention snapped back to the present when he heard the women laughing together, ‘Look how glassy his eyes are, what did you put in his drink, Mira?’

He blinked slowly, and Cana cackled with glee. Mirajane carefully reached for his glass, plucking said drink from his hand, and ignoring his whine of protest.   
‘Sorry, Natsu, you’re even more of a destructive liability when you’ve had a drink,’ She smiled apologetically, ‘Why don't you head home? I’ll contact you immediately if we hear anything from Lucy.’

Cana watched with silent amusement as the dragonslayer huffed another wisp of flame, and then begrudgingly rose to his feet and staggered out of the guildhall. She watched him go, thoughtfully thumbing her card deck.

‘Wonder if either of them really knows what they mean to the other...’ She mused.

Mirajane eyed the cards for just a moment before making toward the beer cellar. She returned as swiftly as she left, one barrel under her arm for the brunette. Cana remained seated upon her perch studying the cards she had lain before her, mumbling a quick ‘thanks’ to the barmaid.

‘Anything interesting in your reading?’

‘Interesting is not really how I’d put it…’

It would be over a week before either of them knew what the cards meant.

.

In the dark cell, ‘Lucy’ was becoming more alert and regaining full consciousness.

And boy, did it hurt.

She could feel her body trembling through sheer agony. She almost wished she could have remained unconscious and unaware of the pain.

Almost.

She had to figure out why she was here. Where ‘here’ was, and how to escape.

She needed to get her memories back. It felt like a fog in her mind, obscuring everything. Every time she thought she could recall something familiar, it would slip out of her reach. It was like trying to catch a ripple on the water.

She instead took a new strategy and focused on things in the present that she knew for certain. Those things being injuries upon her frame.

Her head had an open wound, most likely a linear skull fracture, and it hurt like a bitch. The bleeding had stopped, but her hair was still matted together.

Her arm was definitely broken. She could see the bone breaking through the skin. She would have to try to set it, she grimly realised. That could wait a bit longer.

Lucy continued counting and listing off injuries, deducing that she had at least two fractured ribs, several lacerations of varying depth, and possibly a fractured shin bone. They definitely didn't want her to be able to run away. 

Even her face hurt. Just what had happened to her?

Gingerly, hesitantly, she attempted to move. Just a small twitch of a finger. 

…

That one seemed functional. She tried again, ever so carefully wiggling one finger at a time, and to her delight, her left hand was fine.

She didn't have as much hope for the right hand, especially since half of her… radius? Ulnar? …  _ arm bone _ was visible. She immediately hissed in pain. Her right hand was out of the question. That explained why it was so liberally coated in blood. She thought she could see a pink mark on her hand beneath the smeared blood, but assumed it would be a bruise and mentally shrugged it off.

Somehow, Lucy had the energy to sigh. She was well and truly battered.

Getting out of here was going to be difficult. Feeling exhaustion creeping back in, she surrendered her mind to the darkness.

.

Protected by the safety of unconsciousness, Lucy was dreaming. She was running through the fog. Catching glimpses of what could only be snippets of her life, people she held dear. Friends, family. A beautiful blonde woman, frail and weak in her bed. Her smile was warm. It broke Lucy’s heart. She desperately tried to reach her, only to reach out her hand and grasp fog instead. Fat, salty tears fell down her cheeks. ‘ _ Mom… _ ’ the sound came unbidden from her lips.

Then she was running again. Past shadows, snippets of people she loved visible. Long red hair and armour, a cool presence and an absent shirt, a boozy smile and magic cards. The more she clutched at these fragments of memory, the faster they slipped away. Even when she recalled more about snowy white hair, sparkling sky coloured eyes and a warm embrace, the figure rapidly receded.

' _ who are you all? _ ' a sob escaped her.

She could see faintly glowing figures in the mist, trying to reach her, calling for her. They almost seemed lucid. But not even they could reach her.

She fell to her knees. She couldn't remember anything clearly and it pained her so. Lucy so wished for control over her own mind. She reached up and wiped away stray tears. She couldn't give in!

'Luce!' 

She gasped, her heart stuttering to life. She knew that voice. Soft flames flickered around her, like a gentle caress.

' _ his flames would never hurt me _ ' she silently recalled.

'what you cryin' for, weirdo?' his voice again. Always cheerful, even after all that happened. He was behind her.

She whipped her head around. There he was. Partially obscured by the fog, as though he'd angered it and it wanted to drag him away. Shocking pink hair and a toothy grin would have been his two most identifiable features, if not for the fire shimmering around him.

She gasped, joy leaping within her.

His name though…  _ what was his name? _ She had to remember. He outstretched his palm for her and she slowly reached for it.

She opened her mouth, muscle memory kicking in 'Na- !'

She broke off with a shriek as he jolted suddenly. His flames were abruptly snuffed by the hole that burst through his middle.

Then he was bleeding. For an instant, his dark sage eyes met hers, flashing with something she couldn't read and then she knew that look of fear on his face. She launched herself forward to catch his falling form. It didn't matter, however.

His form burst into smoke through her arms. She caught  _ something _ .

The smoke died out, swallowed by the mist, and a book became visible in her hands.

She felt hollow. This book held something painful for her. She knew that before the text became clear. She hesitated. Then, worrying her lip, wiped the cover of the heavy tome.

"E.N.D"

A scream bubbled within her and she hurled the book away, sobbing in pain.

Her scream escalated when she saw burning red marks crawling up her arm. 

_ She remembered this… _

Her attention was so wrapped up in the strange marks burning into her flesh that she failed to see the flash of golden light in the fog. She didn't see how he scrabbled and fought to reach her as the fog tangled his limbs.

He called her name repeatedly, thrashing through the fog, glowing brighter the more he struggled. He gathered his power, preparing his magic to burst through.

He had to reach her!   
‘Regulus Impact!’ He roared, slamming his fist into the ground. Brilliant light burst around him, chasing away the fog. He didn't know how long he would have before it returned. He turned his attention back to the woman, who finally realised his presence.

Lucy stared at him, wide-eyed, ‘Reg… ulus?’ Her eyes were still clouded over slightly, lacking their usual shine.

He approached her carefully and held his hands in front of him, ‘Lucy, it's me.’ He spoke softly, trying to appear calm, in spite of the storm raging within him. He gently reached out to touch her face, smiling when a flicker of recognition sparked in those chocolate orbs.

‘Hey, Beautiful. Remember me?’

She gasped, her hands flying up to her face, ‘Loke!’ she grasped at his arms, ‘Loke, it's really you!’ She looked around wildly, startling when she saw the rolls of fog creeping back in. ‘You can’t come to me, Loke,’ She met his gaze with a ferocity he had not seen before, ‘You have to stay safe. All of you!’

She was surprised when he smiled.

‘We expect nothing less from our beloved master.’ His expression shifted to more solemn, ‘But we all love you. We don’t want to just sit back and watch our master die!’

He was pleading with her. The time was running shorter by the second. She smiled at him, and he was struck by her uncanny resemblance to Layla at that moment.

Lucy watched the fog rolling in, gaining speed now.

‘That’s what’s obscuring my memories, isn't it? I'm going to forget again.’ She looked worried. Loke's heart ached to comfort his master. She addressed him again, ‘Loke, please, promise me; You can’t come back, not to me, not to wherever on Earthland  _ here _ is.’ She put a finger to his lips to stop his protesting, ‘ _ When _ I am out of here, I will call for you then. Please, I don’t want anyone else in danger. I’ll be ok.’ her smile didn't quite reach her eyes.

He knew she was lying.

She didn’t even believe it herself.

‘Natsu. He’ll know something’s wrong when you aren’t back in time.’

She avoided looking at the lion spirit. ‘Don’t,’

Her sentence trailed off, and Loke realised they were out of time. He cursed when he saw misty tendrils coiling around Lucy’s form, the brief panic that flashed in her eyes, only to give way to a blank, confused stare.

His time was up, too. He was being pulled back to the spirit realm. He couldn’t remain here, within Lucy’s dream, any longer.

In one final, vain attempt, he reached for her, calling her name as shimmered from existence.

Chocolate orbs watched dumbfounded as sparkling lights danced to the floor. Her arms were outstretched, grasping at thin air. Had she been holding something?

She stared at her palms again. She couldn’t see anything else here with her. Or anyone else, for that matter. She was surrounded by fathomless nothing.

Shrugging, she figured she had nothing to lose.

So, she reached out, stretching her arm, hoping that someone would take her hand.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!  
So, this chapter is technically 8 days early lol.  
I got too excited ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯  
The fic has 13k so far now, and i was so happy that you all enjoyed the first chapter, that i couldn't resist posting early :)  
If i can stay on schedule, the fic will be updated every Thursday. Otherwise, every two weeks!  
In this chapter, we meet our first villian! I cant wait to hear what you think :D  
also, thank unforgettablebosslady for the early update!  
and huge thanks for everyone who has commented/subscribed/bookmarked/kudos'd/favourited this story.  
This wouldn't be happening without all of you :)  
now, the main event!

Misty Celare was an individual who held no qualms about harming others. As far as she was concerned, she only needed to look out for herself. Everyone else was just insignificant. She flicked cascading mint-coloured hair over her shoulder. She hummed to herself, tendrils of fog pooling at her crossed ankles and around the stool she sat on.

_ Well _ , she supposed working with others had some advantages. It was entertaining, for one thing. Watching unimportant people squabble over what to steal next, who was strongest, who was in charge. She watched the idiots with amusement. How were they supposed to know that they were cursed by her magic, after all? They couldn’t even remember why they became a ragtag group of villains. Nevermind remembering their boss.

It helped her to get shiny and expensive objects for another.

Misty Celare enjoyed things that were shiny. Expensive. So, she manipulated these petty thieves and reported to the sole person above her, missing out the fact that she slipped certain stolen goods into her own possession. Some of the stolen items were magical. Misty Celare preferred the ones that she could use. The ones that were connected to some form of sentience.

Such as a haunted object, or a possessed mirror.

Or celestial gate keys.

Those were a new item on her most-wanted list. They hadn't come across many as of yet. The few they had were all silver and Misty Celare didn't care much for their lustre. She had them summoned and took delight in torturing them, before selling them on to the black market on behalf of her master.

But now, she was interested in the golden keys. Not just for their valuable precious metal, but the power of the spirits inside. Misty Celare heard that holding all 12 zodiac keys granted unimaginable power. They could be used for certain rituals. 

One of the ones she thought sounded exciting was severing the spirit from its key. Solid gold keys that held magic all on their own could be melted down and sold for millions. The spirits left unshackled from their anchor would be trapped here to wilt and die. The sheer thought filled her with glee.

She wanted the wealth, of course. But holding such a powerful amalgamation of multiple magical energies from another world held possibilities like opening portals to other worlds. And then reaping it for all it was worth. If a few people died, or a world got destroyed, it was no big deal to her.

Imagine Misty Celare’s delight, when a celestial mage holding ten golden keys would respond to her request. A powerful mage from Fairy Tail, no less!

Holder-type mages were Misty Celare’s favourite. They only needed to be separated from the magical item, and then they were useless.

Misty hummed again, this time with disdain. She hadn't expected this blonde to be so difficult to apprehend. They surrounded her, whittled away at her magic until she could barely keep up a stardress, let alone a spirit. 

Nyx had given them away, using their shadow manipulation magic to reach for the Blonde’s keys, and the intelligent little mage had figured them out.

She used the last of her power to call Leo, leader of the Zodiac. Then, she’d thrust her keys into his chest, commanding him to take them, keep them safe and not to return to her, then she forcibly closed his gate.

She had put up one hell of a fight, even without her keys. As soon as she was down, they brought her here.

Misty sniffed haughtily at the blonde at her feet, she was twitching in her sleep and moving her arm. Misty, of course, hadn’t missed the strange red markings that had pulsed up that arm while she slept. Misty whistled, once, sharply. She would have to report the incident to her Master immediately. 

A young girl, only in her teen years contorted through the barred window of the door to materialise beside her. Misty narrowed maroon eyes at the girl, who only smiled widely. A smile too wide to fit such a petite face.

‘Algos,’ the older woman addressed her, voice smooth like velvet, ‘Our guest is waking up. My magic curse won't be fading any time soon. Make sure she brings back those keys.’

The girl, Algos, grew more maniac in her grin, not even noticing when the woman left the room. Algos saw the movement of the unconscious Blonde’s right hand.

She snickered, reaching down to grasp the hand, and the Blonde began to rouse.

‘ _ Luuucyyy… _ ’ she sneered and bleary chocolate orbs blinked at her.

Lucy’s mouth open and closed, before she rasped, ‘...Who?’

Algos barked in laughter, ignoring Lucy’s confused expression, and gripped tighter on her already mangled hand. Lucy shrieked in pain and Algos laughed louder, determined to shatter the rest of her broken bone.

Lucy’s screaming went on for hours.

.

Natsu was growling to himself, swinging in the hammock in his cottage. The alcohol was still buzzing through his veins, but at least the room had stopped spinning.   
He didn't understand why Mirajane insisted on him and Lucy being an item. She was his best friend. That was all they were, and frankly, Natsu was happy with that. They spent their spare time together, they ate meals together, hell, sometimes she’d relent and let him spend the night in her bed. 

‘ _ But Natsu, don’t you wish that the two of you had more? _ ’

Natsu snorted. What more was there? He just didn’t understand. He knew Lucy read those romance novels and dreamed of her “knight in shining armour“. He just didn't know what all the fuss was about. 

She wanted a companion of the opposite sex, right? To spend time with, share meals with and sleep together with. Didn’t she already do all those things with him?

He huffed a wisp of flame again, a small part of him pleased that his magical energy was recovering. The alcohol would burn out his system soon.

His blonde partner was just so confusing sometimes.

He frowned to himself.

‘Nah,’ he murmured, ‘That’s not it…’

He’d spent the whole year away from her unable to stop thinking about her. How she hadn’t laughed at him and genuinely listened to him when they first met, not even questioning when he told her he was raised by a dragon. The way she’d always smiled and cheered him on, how happy she was when she got her guild mark.

He’d also thought a lot about his own shortcomings, how hadn’t been strong enough to save the Future-Lucy, and the horror he’d felt at watching her die.

He sometimes still had nightmares watching her die. He would wake up gasping for air, sweat coating his skin, and a smell of burning in the air.

His flames were linked strongly to his emotions, and even in his sleep, they reacted.

It was on those nights that he would go to Lucy’s. He needed to see that she was ok.

But that’s just something friends do, right? Look out for each other?

He whined in his throat. He didn’t like being separated from her. He missed her smile and her voice, and he missed the way her scent soothed him.

His guild was his family, and somehow, the pretty blonde meant more than all of them.

.

Lucy had no idea what day it was, or how long she’d been locked in here. She was frequently unsure of her own name. She was certain of the agony wrecking her frame. She could still feel blood dripping down her face. At least it had slowed down now. She couldn't quite decide though, if the voices in her head were real or hallucinations caused by her injuries.

They came in short whispers, desperate, but encouraging. Perhaps if she could remember herself better, she'd have recognised those voices. Her pain kept stealing her attention, much to the frustration of the voices' owners.

She'd been wondering what it would be like to lose an arm. Her right arm was coated in multiple layers of dried blood and beginning to resemble mince meat. In her drowsy mind's eye, an image flashed of herself, older than she was now, clad in a black cloak and missing an arm.

In the present, Lucy gasped and flinched away, groaning at the movement. Everything in her head felt fuzzy. She had no idea of what was real and what wasn't. She didn't even know who she was.

As her mind slowly retreated to darkness once more, flames and pink hair drifted lazily into her thoughts. The flames she knew well, and has admired them for their beauty and sheer power. She knew they’d never harm her.

Even when he had shot a Fire dragon’s roar between her legs.

Wait.

Fire dragons’ roar?

… ‘ _ He? He who? _ ’ she wearily wondered. That pink hair flashed in her mind’s eye again, this time accompanied by a wide, fanged, grin. She welcomed unconsciousness as she slipped into dreams of him.

.

In the celestial realm, Leo was growing more distraught by the minute. Lucy's power kept fluctuating, as did her pain tolerance. Worse, she still had no recollection of anything.

He hadn't been able to successfully infiltrate her dreams again. She barely slept for long enough for him to make it into her dream. He always saw a ghost of Natsu haunting her, though she didn't recall his name either. 

But in her barely lucid state, Leo's magic was reaching her. She was starting to hear him. It was harder to contact her without their keys in the corporeal realm, but still doable if the contract holder was in a trance like state.

Lucy seemed to be falling into that state more and more frequently. She was running out of time.

And so, Leo was begging on his knees before the Spirit King. He asked in anguish for his help to save his Mistress. But the old King sighed and sadly shook his head. They could not interfere in the corporeal realm without Lucy holding her keys. She couldn't channel their energy, all the zodiacs energy to call forth the King, not could she sacrifice a golden key with her magic to summon him without the keys.

Leo was running out of hope. 

‘Please, your highness, I have to go save her!’ he implored the enormous spirit before him, but the King gently denied him.

‘What she did, she has done to protect you’ the King intoned.

‘I don’t need protection- I’m supposed to be  _ her _ protector! Not the other way around!’ He snarled, irritated and exhausted from worry. ‘She shouldn’t have… I understand why she did it.’ He sighed, dejected, ‘But now she’s paying the price for it.’

‘Leo… Loke.’ the King heaved a defeated sigh, tiredly. Leo looked up in surprise, rising to his feet, for the king never referred to him by his other name like that. ‘I know how hard this must be, especially for you, but humans… Humans like Lucy are dutiful to what they believe in. She will not be swayed from her decision.’

'I can go on my own power!' he insisted, raising his voice ‘I survived there for three years without any holder’s magic!’

‘No.’ The king’s voice boomed, resolute. The King shook his head. ‘It cannot work that way, and you know it! The order Lucy Heartfilia gave you cannot be disobeyed; as she is your holder, you have sworn an oath to her. She has bestowed upon you a great responsibility; the likes of which you have never endured before.’ He paused, watching the Lion spirit’s hope wither away, feeling that hopelessness himself. ‘You are to stay here, to protect her keys. You are promised to obey her wishes, and as such you cannot return to her until called.’

‘There must be something that I can do.’ Leo pleaded.

The King reiterated his words, 'Leo… Loke. She has given you an oath to not return to her until summoned by her voice and magic both. You hold all her keys, and cannot cross the gate to reach her without your key to tether you to her.' he averted his eyes from the crumpled form that slumped over at his throne.

‘Lucy… She’s more than just my holder, or Mistress. She’s my friend… Even though I avoided her when she joined Fairy Tail, she still saved me. Please help me to save her.’

There was a heavy pause between the two spirits and the King stroked the moustache deep in thought.

'Fairy Tail,' he rumbled after a long silence, 'you still hold a guild mark to Fairy Tail, do you not?' Leo sharply jerked his head up in a stiff nod. He dared not to breathe as a sliver of hope reignited in him.

The king gestured toward Leo's back. 'that could tether you to the guild, and more importantly, the building that houses that guild.’

His glinted with mirth, ‘Most importantly, it would not compromise your oath to Lucy Heartfilia of not returning to  _ her _ . I believe we have found your answer. Your Mistress never forbade you from returning to the guild.'

Leo froze in anticipation, starlight thrumming beneath his skin. He held his breath. The King smiled widely at him, 'Leo the Lion, or rather, Loke of Fairy Tail. Return to your guild.'

He didn't even waste a second before he burst into stardust, the mark on his back lighting up like a supernova.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So there you have it- chapter 2!  
What did you think? Five points if you can figure out the full pun on Misty Celare's name, and bonus points if you guess the puns of the other villians introduced here.   
I'm sorry this chapter was a little shorter! Leo taking off felt like the best place to end it. Speaking of, that scene was pretty difficult to write, it was hard to get the right mood across that i wanted. Again, thanks to Unforgettablebosslady for helping with that scene! I think it turned out well, don't you :) ?  
With that all said, i eagerly await seeing you all next time!  
Much Love,
> 
> ~ MJ.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone!  
So its "through oblivion thursday" again! I hope you all enjoy this chapter, it gives a bit more details on what poor Lucy's been suffering and shows our favourite guildhall too!  
I dont have too much to say this week!  
so, without further Ado!

Algos sat at a wooden table, admiring the tools laid about in front of her. Pale acidic-yellow eyes roamed the sharp scalpels and tiny pliers with glee. 

‘What would little miss Lucy like today~?’ She said in a sing-song voice. She wore a wide grin on her face, one that if stared at for too long, became uncomfortable to look at. The wide grin was maniac in its nature, showing all of her teeth in such an unnatural way. It most certainly did not suit the petit child-like face it was attached to. She did not know how old she was anymore. She just knew that she wasn't even in double digits when she killed her parents. That was a long time ago. She hummed to herself, using her magic to sharpen the small blades. Her magic was an origami kind. It allowed her to fold parts of her body, usually her hands, into flat shapes with sharp edges. It also made her an excellent contortionist. Her fingers were twisted and folded in such a way that they acted as a whetstone on the blades. She was still figuring out how to use her magic on other things.

Algos had enjoyed slicing up Lucy Heartfilia with blade-like hands. The feel of her blood on Algos’ bladed limbs as she carved her way through Lucy’s flesh was exciting, like playing with playdough. It had been fun to watch her squirm and screech. Even more so when she couldn't remember why.

Algos’ mission was to get Lucy to recall her keys to her, so they could seize them. Not that Algos really cared much for the keys. She just enjoyed being able to inflict pain on others as she pleased.

A hand patted her head, causing her to look up. Misty Celare gazed down at her little hands working the tools. Misty gently ran her hand over Algos fine yet messy mouse-brown hair, tracing the jagged ends with her fingers where it met her collarbone.

‘You really are such a little cutie’, Misty cooed, her maroon eyes meeting the girls’, ‘We shall have to find you a boyfriend before too long.’

The girl scowled, spinning away from her. ‘I dun’t like boys.’

‘Well, a girlfriend then.’ Misty shrugged.

‘I dun’t like girls, neither. Not like you do.’

Misty ignored her. ‘How’s our guest? Remember not to kill her.’

The girl grumbled something incoherent. Misty sighed, ‘The Master is interested in her. I want those keys. The Master wants to know more about those marks on her arm. They may be demonic. Push her to her limits, I want those marks to appear again.’

The girl still said nothing, engrossed in the tools. The woman regarded her for a moment and decided to pay Lucy Heartfilia a visit first, ahead of the girl. Then she brushed the hair away from the girl's face and left the room.

Algos raised her head, looking in the direction the woman went. She’d been the one to name her 'Algos', after all. She had long forgotten her own name, abandoned when she left her childhood home.

Not that that mattered anymore. She thoughtfully turned her attention to the tools on the table. So many choices… all the pretty, shiny tools. Which one would look best painted red with the captives’ blood? She thoughtfully lifted a screwdriver. No, that was no good. Her favourite stanley knife was already stained crimson from the last visit to the captive. How about a mallet? No, Algos decided, she didn’t want to smash the captives bones today.

Then her eyes fell upon what would have to be her choice for the day. Her face split into that unnatural grin again and she picked up a pair of metal pliers.

‘I like these ones!’ She proclaimed to no-one in particular, and hopped off the stool and skipped out of the room.

.

It should have been just like any other day in the guildhall, but it wasn't. There hung an air thick with tension in the guild. Their beloved Celestial mage still hadn’t returned from her mission, and no-one had heard any word from her. But more than that, nobody dared to disturb the distressed and seething dragon slayer sat in the corner of the bar. Every single fibre of Natsu’s muscles were tensed like a coil. He just couldn’t keep himself from fidgeting, either bouncing his knee or drumming his fingers. His jaw was tightly clamped shut, only opening to take a swig of his whiskey, flames spilling out as he did.

Currently, not that he’d admit it out loud, he was worried about his slipping control over his flames. His emotions were rampant with worry, and spiralling into his magic. In fact, his flames were so unpredictable within him as of late, that they weren’t burning completely through the alcohol penetrating his system. The whiskey was sending a warm buzz through his body, but not quite allowing him to become intoxicated.

Beside him, watching him silently with a look of concern was his constant feline companion. Happy knew how worried his friend was becoming over Lucy’s absence, and admittedly, he was too. Lucy had been gone too long. The mission should only have taken her 3 days, max. She’d been gone for a week, as of tomorrow. Happy feared not only for her safety, but Natsu’s well-being too.

Just as Happy was silently wishing that there would be news on their blonde friend soon, the room suddenly lit up in a burst of light.

Natsu was on his feet immediately, fists sputtering with flames. The light died down, revealing a dishevelled-looking and frantic Loke. Exclamations resounded around the guild. Natsu was frozen rigid to the spot.

Loke’s eyes locked onto his, and Natsu was barely aware of the growing blaze flickering and surrounding him. His mouth felt like it was filled with ashes. He could feel the adrenaline surging through him.

Mirajane broke the shocked silence, placing a hand on the jumpy spirit’s shoulder. She masked her expression carefully, trying to hide the fear that another she loved may be dead.

‘Loke…’ she asked him softly, ‘Why aren’t you with Lucy?’

His face twisted painfully, sparking something in Natsu. He still couldn’t bring himself to speak.

But Loke could. ‘She… She forced me to leave. She sent me back with her keys, she couldn’t let them-!’ He broke off suddenly, snapping round to face Natsu, ‘She’s trapped. She thought she’d be able to escape; and under normal circumstances she could have.’

Happy spoke for Natsu, seeing that his friend was still paralysed. ‘What do you mean… Normal circumstances?’

Loke visibly grimaced. ‘She can’t remember a thing. Not even her own name. I can barely reach her, only when she’s dreaming. There’s a fog-based magic keeping her from remembering. She’s struggling. I can feel it.’

‘Then… Why aren’t you there, helping her?’ Natsu finally dug out. He was surprised by how strained his voice sounded.

‘Because Spirits have to obey their masters.’ Loke looked stricken, ‘She ordered me not to return to her, Lucy… She told me to protect the keys and not return until she called for me.’

Horror flooded the guild. Lucy didn’t have her keys. She couldn’t remember anything. She was trapped.  _ They had to save her! _

Happy spoke again, something clicking into place in his mind, ‘Then, Loke, how are you here? If Lucy ordered you not to return, how’d you get to the guild?’

‘She never ordered me to stay away from the guild. Luckily, I still have my guild mark to act as a tether to this place.’ It was then that Natsu, and others, noticed the singe marks on the back of his tuxedo jacket. He’d almost burned it through.

Mira gently squeezed the spirits’ shoulder, gaining his attention again. This time, there was a steely determination in her eyes, ‘We’ll save her Loke. She’s our family, too.’

Glancing around the guild, Loke saw the other members nodding in agreement; Levy, Gajeel and their twins. Erza, Cana, Gray and Juvia, everyone. Natsu was in a swirling inferno.

‘Start with the location in the mission log. Natsu can sniff her out from there.’ He looked at his hands, ‘Lucy’s keys, mine included, are still in my realm. I can only cross the gate to get to the guildhall, and that's thanks to my guild mark. I will return here frequently until she calls for me. Take lacrima-comms with you. Please hurry.’

Then he faded into twinkling lights. Natsu could feel his heart beating erratically, the adrenaline and need to fight getting the better of him. His fingers twitched impatiently.

‘Mira…’ He ground out, his voice gravelly, ‘What were those coordinates?’

.

One moment, her mind was adrift in a haze of fog. The next she would screeching and writhing in agony. Her mind desperately tried to escape. To the pink haired man. He was always waiting for her when she lost consciousness. She didn't know who he was. She had no idea. She didn't know anything but hurt anymore. 

A past she wasn't even sure was truly hers anymore was locked away to obscurity. Who was she before? Why was she here? What happened?

Nothing was clear. Voices, like whispers tormented her almost as much as the injuries littering her battered body. She didn't know how much more she could take. She couldn’t manage much longer.

What even was she waiting for?

Why was she enduring this torture?

How long had it been now?

Surely she had someone waiting for her. Maybe she still had parents, terrified out of their wits about her. Friends, she hoped. Family. 

There were two things she clung onto. One was the pink-haired man, who remained in her dreams despite the loss of her memories. He always grinned at her, and she wished she knew his name, or that his facial features were clearer. 

The second thing was a mantra that was ingrained into her mind from  _ before _ . 

' _ Don't call them. Don't call them. Don't call them!  _ '

She wasn't sure  _ who _ not to call, but she somehow understood. 

But what else was the poor woman to do? She felt utterly helpless. She couldn't even move. Everything hurt. 

She gazed around the dull cell with equally dull eyes. She refused to cry. She'd promised herself. Promises felt like they held some great importance to her. But the longer she was here, the harder that promise got. It was an awful feeling, the way it sat in her stomach was like ice, the knowledge that she was going to break a promise.

Faintly, she could hear distant footsteps. An involuntary whimper slipped her bruised lips. 

Lucy was running out of time. 

She so badly wanted to understand…  _ everything _ . Who she was and how she was here. For all she knew, her memory had been wiped so often that she could have been here mere hours, or even as long as years, and she just wouldn’t know. 

She barely remembered the few things in her head, but even they were getting muddled up. The few glimpses she saw in her mind's eye, was how one of her captors held an aura similar to another formidable woman she had only briefly encountered, the name Irene felt right. What had they called this woman with the fog?

‘ _ Misty Celare _ ’ Lucy murmured. That was right. How fitting a name, she thought dryly. Her intelligence seemed to have stayed with her.

Lucy had also wondered about the strange book in her dreams, and why it elicited such a painful emotion in her. She felt like it was connected to the pink-haired man, who occupied so many of her thoughts and offered her the tiniest comfort in this dim place.

Her mind was hazy again, she numbly realised, as she heard the whispers in her ear again. They whispered encouragement, she was beginning to think, and whispered about magic.

The poor woman had even had her knowledge of magic tampered with. She was still aware of its existence, yet only now as she heard the whispers that another thought struck her.

‘ _ Am I a mage? _ ’

She blinked, blearily, and struggled with all her might to focus. There, deep inside of her, she found a golden light, thrumming with life and eagerly responding to her attention. She hoped that she would remember this precious information later.

Fog began to roll into the cell and she shivered, whimpering slightly. She didn’t understand it, but as well as taking memories away, it made the emptiness hurt.

She felt exhausted and drained. She only hoped there would be help soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There you have it! What did you think? What are you hoping will happen next?  
I promise you all that you will LOVE next weeks' chapter!  
Its' going to be a longer one too >3  
as always, thank you for reading :)  
Until next time!
> 
> \- Mj  
xxx


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again!   
I've got a longer chapter for you all today, I'm hoping you're all going to enjoy this one!   
I will forewarn you all though;  
It's going to get worse before it gets better,  
And two, trigger warning for torture and gore.   
Otherwise, enjoy reading,   
And let me know what you think :)   
Now, for the main event!

Misty Celare approached the cell with brisk steps. Her patience was wearing thin. Her master was very interested in the captive, especially after she had reported the markings that appeared on said captives' arm. But she wanted those golden keys and she was going to make the little blonde bring them back.

She halted at the cell door, fumbling with keys in her haste. The fog pooled around her ankles. She flung open the door and glared down at the pathetic creature curled up on the floor. Her blonde hair was so matted by dirt and blood that it was hard to see the golden colour underneath. Her face was bruised and bloody and her body was in tatters. 

‘You’re going to bring me back those keys,’ Misty sneered, ‘I’ll make sure of it.’

Lucy whimpered and curled further into a ball, shuffling back from the fog the crept toward her. But her eyes flashed with determination.

‘I won’t… do what you want.’ She said defiantly, albeit a little mumbled.

Misty’s lips curled upwards into an ugly smirk. Her fog contorted people's minds, muddled up memories and tainted them. She could manipulate the mind, and had lately been practising her magic to create hallucinations. She wanted her skill to match that of her Masters.

Algos had already had her fun slashing her up and breaking bones. Heck, Algos was already choosing her next torture tool while Misty was in here. 

But for now, it was Misty’s turn to have some  _ fun _ .

She crouched down, reaching out to grip the blonde’s bruised cheeks. Her smirk grew at blonde’s grimace.

‘Now, Lucy, dear… Tell me who you remember most fondly’ She cooed. Lucy’s brown orbs were wide with fear, and Misty gave an icy smile. Her fog magic did strange and terrible things to one’s mind, including allowing the caster to view the obscured memories through the victim’s eyes. Lucy’s eyes showed Misty many people she loved. A snowy-haired barmaid would do.

Fog gathered behind Lucy, still crumpled on the floor, and grew upwards, metamorphosing into a near-perfect image of one Mirajane Strauss.

Of course, Fog-Mira was all white, but to Lucy she was as real as the mint-haired woman leering at her. Recognition flickered in her eyes briefly, ‘ _ I know you! _ ’, interrupted by Lucy unleashing a blood curdling scream.

Fog-Mira held Lucy’s crushed arm in an iron-grip, twisting it enough to pop it from the socket and burst her broken bone further through the skin. Blood spurted across the wall. Misty watched in amusement. She knew how unstable this magic was, how it reconditioned one’s mind and permanently warped it.

'Call them back,'Misty purred, ' _ please _ , Lucy.'

Lucy's eyes flashed, pain interlaced with determination ' _ No. _ ' 

Misty grinned. 

'Oh, I was hoping you would say that.'

Fog-Mira further twisted Lucy's arm, earning an ear-splitting scream. Misty continued to torture Lucy’s phyche, relishing in her anguish, creating fog-replicas of those she loved and forcing them to reject her in her confused state. A scarlet haired warrior swinging a sword upon her broken ribs, a young girl with brown eyes and small fangs dragging her across the cell by her hair, tearing it out at the roots, an enormous studded man grinning sharply as he thrust a knife-like limb through her legs. Lucy shrieked and sobbed in sheer terror, frantically writhing away from all the strangers.

Her promise was broken with the tears that spilled down her cheeks.

Misty’s eyes danced with sadistic delight. She wanted to  _ torture _ her.

Misty began to recreate scenes from her memories, altering them just enough to break her heart and place doubts in her mind.

A shattered Gold key, tears streaming down Lucy’s face as she watched the mermaid viciously scream that she’d never forgive her. Unusual beings, that had she not lost herself would’ve instantly recognised as spirits, lamented their loss of freedom, sending her cruel glares over the shackles around their necks.

She would never know what was real or fake if Misty had her way.

Lucy was sobbing, forgetting her physical pain in favour of clutching at her head. Pain swept through her mind, devastating her. She had never known so many levels of hurt before. Her emotions were in shreds, her body damaged beyond repair (should she not find a medic), and her mind was warped. She was hallucinating. She had to be. This couldn’t be real.

Was she trapped in another dimension?

Or had she truly never been shown kindness in her life?

Her mind fell back to her parents. The faintest image of a blonde-haired woman smiling at her lovingly.

‘Mom…’ she croaked.

She was only granted temporary release from this mental torture as Misty’s attention wavered. Perhaps utter despair would help her break her captive. Looking deep into Lucy’s eyes, Misty sought and found the shrouded memory of Layla Heartfilia.

Then, with utmost cruel intentions, Misty made the fog-replica.

Then forced Lucy to watch her mother die. Over and over. In different and painful ways. Bleeding and broken, falling in front of her, blaming her. Layla reached for Lucy, and she scrambled on broken limbs to reach her, only for Layla to crumple. Blood sprayed from her open throat, covering her daughter. Layla’s eyes rolled back into her head, and with the little breath she had remaining, croaked ‘ _ It’s all your fault _ …’

‘What a cruel daughter you are, Lucy Heartfilia. Your poor mother must utterly  _ loathe _ your existence.’ Misty crooned. Lucy latched onto the hurtful words and they left deep scars on her wounded heart.

And then the cycle continued, beginning anew.

Lucy shrieked until her throat was sore, hysteric sobs and wails tearing through her. She screamed for her mother.

Callous eyes glared smugly down at the captive. She was lost to her own mind. The fog magic wasn’t needed to uphold the torture, but it still remained to blot out any other memories.

The creak of the door stole her attention from the captive, to see Algos stepping inside. The girl grinned maniacally, as usual, gripping a pair of pliers in one hand.

Misty Celare analysed her for a moment, a wicked idea forming in her head. Perhaps the fog magic still had some use.

.

Natsu had a fire boiling within him like never before. He was furious. Flames licked off his shoulders as he ran. Someone had  _ his _ Lucy! She didn’t have her keys, and regardless of the danger she found herself in, Natsu knew she was too stubborn to risk her beloved spirits. Sure, Lucy on her own was plenty strong enough. He admired her strength and courage. But something bad must have happened for her to have not returned home. Hell, it must be bad, Natsu thought grimly, if Loke had gone around orders to beg them to save her.

In truth, Natsu was terrified. He was so afraid that they’d be too late. He couldn’t bear to watch her die,  _ again _ . His fear drove him forward, sprinting forward at full pelt towards the location Mira had given him.

He only hoped he could make it in time before anything serious happened to her.

Happy lagged behind him. The blue exceed had expelled all his magic energy to go full speed and get the dragonslayer this far. 

Natsu skidded to a halt, tilting his nose in the air. There were faint traces of Lucy’s scent in the air. It mixed with a few others, making it harder to distinguish. Luckily, Natsu was very familiar with her scent.

‘They went that way… a while ago.’ Natsu spoke stiffly through gritted teeth. It would be harder to track her now. He hoped vainly that he’d find traces of her magical energy. He met Happy’s worried expression.

‘I’ll go ahead, you go tell the others which way to go.’ He glanced down at the trail of burned foliage left behind, ‘You’ll know where I went.’

He gave his furry companion a half-hearted, strained, smile, ruffling his fur, and then took off running again.

Happy watched Natsu’s retreating back for a moment. Then glanced at the patches of burned grass, gravel and various other parts of the path he’d ran, and Happy briefly wondered if Natsu’s control over his fire was slipping. Shaking his head, Happy flew back towards the rest of their rescue party.

Natsu, on the other hand kept running. His lungs were burning in his chest, but he couldn’t afford to stop, not now.

‘ _ Hold on, Luce. I’m comin’ !  _ ‘

.

Meanwhile, Lucy was sobbing and shrieking hysterically. Two of her bloodied fingernails were discarded beside her on the floor. Her hand burned in pain, blood dripping from her fingertips. Her mind despairingly yearned to escape and succumb to her fatigue, but the sheer adrenaline and agony coursing through her body kept her locked in the horrifying moment. She felt dizzy and dreadfully nauseous.

Sweat, blood and tears all ran down her face. She couldn’t stop shaking. She could hear the voices again. They urgently cried out to her, begging her to remember the words.

‘ _ You know the words! You have to remember them! _ ’

She couldn’t focus on anything.

The person in front of her wore a warped grin that clearly did not belong to their face. Mist swirled around her, keeping her confused.

The person before her held the pliers around her next fingernail, eagerly twisting it round. A blood-curdling scream tore through her vocal cords as the nail was wrenched off.

The person giggled. Again, a sound that did not belong to this persons’ face. They were wearing the face of one Gray Fullbuster. Someone Lucy could not remember. Someone she felt she should've been able to trust. But they wanted to change that. She couldn’t trust anyone. “Gray” tossed her unceremoniously to the ground.

‘ _ Urano Metria, Lucy! You know this spell! _ ’

“Gray”’s face morphed into someone else. A short woman, with wild and wavy blue hair. Another face that should have felt familiar, safe even. Lucy was beginning to understand. She couldn’t trust anyone.

Her mind locked onto the last words whispered to her. Her lips felt numb and still murmured ‘Urano… Metria… ?’

She cried out as the metal pliers swung down into her bruised ribs. Fresh tears pricked her eyes as she rolled to look at her attacker. Only for the metal pliers to swing down and crack into her brow.

Blood obscured her already blurry vision. Voices urgently called to her.

The person crouched in front of her and grasped her chin.

‘Who should we try next, Misty?’ An adolescent voice came out of their mouth. Behind them, Misty shrugged. The mint-haired woman rose to her feet and crouched in front of the battered blonde.

Misty cocked her head to one side, as though she were bored. She leaned towards Lucy’s face, and peered deep into her eyes.

‘Who is it you care for the most, little miss Heartfilia?’ She asked.

Lucy recoiled immediately from the woman, fear flashing in her eyes at the amused grin the other woman wore.

‘Hm? I should have known.’ Her smile grew, and she gestured fog towards the other figure. ‘Will he make you talk then?’

The figure’s features changed again. Spiked pink hair and a fanged grin.

Lucy screeched and further retreated from them, ‘Not him!’ she howled hoarsely, ‘Anyone but him!’ She could feel a deep pain in her heart seeing his face again. 

‘ _ He would never hurt me!! _ ’ she mentally screamed.

The voices screamed back.

‘ _ Lucy! Do it now! _ ’

Familiar words began to come to her, like bubbles floating to the surface. Her mouth was dry and her throat terribly sore, but she mumbled the words as they came.

‘ _ Survey the heavens, Open the heavens… _ ’

Her two abusers exchanged confused looks.

‘ _ All the stars, far and wide… _ ’

‘What is she doing?’ The younger voice asked, panicked.

‘ _ Show me thy appearance… _ ’

‘I don’t know!’ The woman snapped back, widening a glare at Lucy.

‘ _ With such shine. Oh Tetrabiblios... _ ’

Misty’s concentration slipped, and the Natsu-imposter regained their true appearance. Lucy felt of glimmer of confidence as the facade faded, and spoke stronger.

‘ _ I am the ruler of the stars… _ ’

‘I thought you said she wu’n’t r’member nuthin’!’ Algos accused the woman. Lucy closed her tired eyes.

‘ _ Aspect become complete… Open thy malevolent gate. _ ’

‘She’s using a spell!’ Misty Celare cried.

‘ _ Oh eighty-eight stars of heaven… _ ’ 

Misty and Algos launched forward towards her, 

‘ _ Shine! _ ’ Lucy’s eyes snapped open. They were too late.

‘ _ Urano Metria! _ ’   
  


.

_ There! _

Natsu felt it. It was as distinct as the fires licking at his heels.

Lucy’s magical signature. She was close. Painfully close. His own magic rose within him, reacting to Lucy’s magic. Flames erupted around him, and he launched in the direction he sensed her. It was stronger now. He could see a building looming ahead of him. Like a warehouse, almost. Or a conversion? He wasn’t sure, and frankly he didn't care.

Her magical signature was growing stronger and stronger.

She was here!

He inhaled deeply through his nose, trying to determine how many foes he would have up against him. His skin was practically itching with a need to get to Lucy. To see her safe and alive. He decided then and there that he could handle whoever was waiting beyond the wrought iron doors, and he burst into a raging inferno.

The dragonslayer practically melted the door down, paying no attention to those who leapt back in surprise and fear. He was lost to his own instincts in the fire.

For too long he had been fighting them and reining them in. But now, she was close, tantalisingly so, and that control burst loose. He could feel her power growing.

The basement. She was there. He could detect her scent and two others. What worried him was how saturated her scent was with blood. He saw red. He wasn’t even aware of his own actions any more. He was running on pure instinct. He didn't even realise he was marching down a dimly lit hall until he heard Lucy’s voice.

He froze.

‘Lucy…’ Her name fell from his lips in a breath. The fires surrounding him faltered for a moment.

‘ _ Open thy malevolent gate. _ ’

He knew that spell! The fire roared back to life.

So, she was ok, right? She wouldn’t be able to cast it if she wasn’t, right? Loke was wrong, she was fine.

A cell door further down burst with light, and he heard her cry ‘ _ Urano Metria! _ ’

He sprinted as fast as he could towards the burst open door.

Only to stop dead in his tracks. 

There was a woman and a teenage girl unconscious against the wall, blasted back from Lucy’s spell. He didn’t care. He barely even noticed them. His eyes were glued to broken form curled up on the floor.

All the fire that had danced into the building with died out immediately, snuffed to ashes as soon as he saw her.

His lower lip trembled, and he fought the urge to vomit.

The entire space in the cell reeked of Lucy’s blood. He barely recognised her. Her hair was matted and stained beyond belief. He knew there had to be at least one wound under all that. He face was bruised, her lips cut open and blood running down one side of her face, over her eye. Her arm twisted his heart in the most painful way, and lurched his stomach worse than a kick to the gut.

It was clearly broken. In a few places, to say the least. The most severe part was the fragments of bone that ruptured through her skin. Worse still, he could smell the infection that had begun to fester there. 

He could see various bruises and lacerations littering her form, he surmised that he must have broken ribs and a shattered shin bone. There was a strange scent surrounding her, too. A weird magic, like… fog?

Her eyes were fixed onto him.

Like a frightened animal.

Just what had they done to her?

She was shaking.

He took a careful step forward, quietly.

Her lips trembled, tears still streaming down her face. She muttered something, barely audible, but his ears caught it.

‘He would never hurt me…’

He cautiously crouched down, and nodded. 

‘Yea… That’s right, Luce.’ He slowly extended his hand towards her, ‘I’d never hurt you. You’re safe now.’

His heart clenched painfully at the way her eyes lit up and filled with more tears.  _ What had they done to her? _

He swallowed thickly. An unpleasant suspicion crawled up his spine, and he found himself voicing it.

‘Lucy… Do you know who I am?’

She continued to tremble. She shook her head and Natsu’s heart sank. But then she said in a watery voice, ‘But you… you’re the only person I remember from my dreams. You and… a book. You’d never hurt me…’ Her voice broke as his stomach did somersaults. ‘You’d never hurt me…’ She repeated, breaking off with a sob.

He gingerly moved towards her, offering his hand, allowing her to choose to come to him.

She quivered, her dull eyes moving to his hand and then back to his face. She knew his face. He was the pink haired man from her dreams. He wasn’t smiling now though. She remembered the first dream, with the book, and the hole in chest. She crawled using one arm, attempting to reach him. He had to be real this time, right? He wasn’t just another illusion. He couldn’t be. She wouldn’t be able to bear it if he wasn’t real either.

He gently reached for her, deliberately careful in his movements. She allowed him to pull her into his welcoming embrace. His unique scent of burning oak and cinnamon washed over her. He felt like home. He was warm.

He was  _ real _ .

She reached up a hand, her good hand, to his chest, pushing the vest aside. He watched her quizzically, the way she traced over a scar left there.

She thought she heard him murmur ‘Weirdo’ under his breath. A tiny smile twitched the corners of her mouth. That felt familiar.

She relaxed into him, leaning her weight against his torso.

‘I’m goin’ to pick you up now, Luce. Ok?’ 

She nodded weakly. His arms enfolded her, cradling her against him. Her ruined arm fell across her chest, and she heard a small growl from him. She didn’t have the energy left to be afraid.   
Lucy knew she was safe with this man. That was enough. It was a weight lifted off her shoulders. Her exhausted eyes gazed up at him, how he was glaring at her bleeding fingers, turning a positively vicious look to the two still unconscious people in the cell with them.

He rose to his feet, lifting her with him effortlessly. She groaned in pain at the movement. He stilled, shifting her in his arms. He reached for her hand, cautiously, bringing the damaged fingers to closer to his face for examination. His breath was warm and soothing over the raw and exposed flesh. He was so focused on analysing the injuries that he failed to notice how his lips brushed over the injury site, driven by his instincts telling him to take her pain away. He was fully attentive to her reaction. He felt an aching need to soothe her other injuries. He wasn’t sure why. He wasn’t really paying attention to that.

He just needed Lucy to be safe.

He could see the exhaustion written on her face. She wasn’t grimacing in pain, at least and her heartbeat was steady in her chest. He felt himself ease up a little. He held her close to him, and turned to leave the cell. He paused once, to glare at the two on the ground, and then he slammed the door behind him and welded it shut.

His comrades would deal with them later.

He needed to protect Lucy. He needed to get her out of here.

‘... Name…’ 

‘Hm?’ A small noise came from Lucy. He quirked a brow at her, ‘What was that Luce?’

She cleared her throat, and tried again.

‘I can’t remember your name…’

He chuckled. Normally he was asking her what people’s names were. What a strange turn of events.

‘Natsu.’ He answered her. ‘My name’s Natsu Dragneel. We’re best friends, when you aren’t being kidnapped and tortured.’ He added dryly.

She exhaled a short laugh.

Her eyes drifted shut. ‘Natsu… I want to go home.’

He was more than happy to oblige.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There you have it!   
What did you think? I hope that ward the payoff you all wanted ;)  
I really wanted Lucy to have a badass moment, and hoped I portrayed a heartfelt reunion between her and Natsu. I honestly had a lot of fun with this one, especially the last few paragraphs.   
Next week may have a delay, I have things going on and may not get an update in time. If that ends up being the case, I sincerely apologise!  
Thank you all for reading and your continued support, it means a lot.   
Until next time, 
> 
> \- Mj xx


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!  
So, this one did end up being late, sorry about that!   
I've almost caught up to how far in advance i've written, so chapters will currently be arriving every second thursday until further notice!  
This was interesting chapter to write... I'm trying to create more plot lol. And progress a few other ships too ;)  
I hope you all like this chapter! leave me a comment if you do, and tell me your favourite part!  
On with the main event!

Lucy slept for two days when Natsu finally got her to the guild. Those who had tortured her, and the organization with them, had to deal with Erza after Natsu left the building. The titania had unleashed her full wrath, and had them escorted to the reformed magic council. The guild had rejoiced at the successful rescue effort, and drank through the night upon hearing that she was safe.

Natsu hadn’t left her bedside once. Wendy burst into tears when she saw him kick the doors in, carrying a battered and limp Lucy (still passed out) in his arms. Natsu realised it was too big a burden to place upon the young girl and had said so to Makarov.

The Master had agreed with him, and instantly sent word out to Porlyusica, who arrived surprisingly promptly to help. In that same day, Lucy’s wounds had been cleaned and tended, but she still sported numerous cuts and swollen bruises over her body. Fairy Tail’s healer had cast a sedation spell on Lucy to keep her unconscious and numb her injuries whilst she stitched together her open head wound and applied butterfly stitches to the gauge on her brow. The blonde wore padding on both injuries, held on with bandages around her head. Her lower leg had butterfly stitches and a splint to aid the repair of her broken shin bone, and her hand had been painstakingly wrapped in bandages.

They had the most trouble resetting Lucy’s broken arm. Wendy worked meticulously to cure the infection settling in the bone, and clear out any other bad bacteria in her bloodstream. Wendy continued casting healing magic as Porlyusica requested Natsu’s help to set the bone.

Porlyusica held Lucy’s arm straight, chanting her own healing incantation under her breath, while Natsu leaned over Lucy’s torso, keeping her held down when he firmly set the bone back into her arm.

Even unconscious, and heavily sedated, Lucy wailed and jerked beneath him. He securely held her in place as Porly worked quickly to knit the bone and bone fragments back together and Wendy focused on the wound left behind in the skin.

Tear tracks stained Lucy’s pale cheeks when they were done. Natsu remained seated at her side, worry carved into his expression.

The next day he helped Mira wash and comb Lucy’s golden locks and restore them to their usual lustre. He dried her hair afterwards, increasing his own temperature as he ran his fingers through the long strands.

That was yesterday. Porlyusica’s sedation spell should have worn off a few hours ago. Now, Natsu waited for her to wake up. He didn’t like that Lucy had remained asleep for two days. This was the third day since he had brought her back to fairy tail. Sitting at her bedside, watching over her sleeping form, with Happy floating in occasionally to visit, he thought of the Alvarez war.

When  _ he _ was the one unconscious in a bed, stuck because of a magic tumour, and Lucy remained by his side. Was this how she had felt then? In fact, there had been multiple instances during that war he’d been down for the count and Lucy was there each time. She and Happy had both kept him warm when he was put into a coma by his draconic magic warring with his demonic side. She had literally re-written him back to life, after Zeref had punched a hole through his chest.

Natsu grimaced at the thought of that book. Neither him nor Lucy had any idea if his life was still tied to the damned book. Lucy had never said anything about it to him, but he’d found the tome on her shelf one day, when he’d broke into her apartment. It was like it called out to him. He never usually looked at her bookshelf. He would have never noticed it if not for the sickening feeling that crawled up his spine. She’d even put a different cover sleeve on it. But he knew.

Natsu growled to himself, determined not to think of the demonic book or what it meant to them. He turned back to Lucy. She’d mentioned it when he found her. It worried him, truthfully. She wasn’t supposed to remember anything then. It left a bad taste in his mouth and left him wondering what other potentially ‘bad’ things they’d left in her head.

The dragon slayer just hoped that her memories would be back when she awoke.

‘C’mon, Luce. Naptime’s over.’

.

Lucy’s mind was running a mile a minute. It was like being trapped in a snare. She was stuck in the moment of torture back in that cell. She hadn’t forgotten what they did to her.

_ She couldn't trust anyone _ .

Pink hair and a fanged smile sprung defiantly to her mind, ‘I’d never hurt you. You’re safe now.’

Him. He was safe. He helped get away from  _ them _ .

She felt like such a mess. She still couldn’t remember things clearly, barring the events before her rescue. All those familiar faces. She felt so confused. They all hurt her. The memories she’d seen, how many of them were real?

They spiralled through her, piercing like knives. A man with sword-like arms spearing her leg, an icy man and a small blue-haired woman grinning the same maniac way as they tore off her fingernails. A snowy-haired woman in a deep fuschia dress twisting her shattered hand and broken arm. She was assaulted and harmed by so many people. The flashes of memories reaffirmed that.

Misty Celare had twisted so many of her memories. Happy times with her guild mates warped into suffering. These memories were all hazey now, like wool over her eyes. Every memory that she could access  _ hurt _ . None of them made sense.

She was sure of one thing.

The pink-haired man… No,  _ Natsu _ .

Natsu would never hurt her. She felt safe with him.

She could hear his voice now, murmuring for her to wake up. 

Then, all the aches and pains and injuries hit her.

She groaned, slowly becoming more aware of everything. The light in the room hurt her eyes, all her joints felt stiff. Her eyes peeled open, fluttering and blinking as she awoke.

‘Luce?’

She felt a warm hand on her shoulder, and rolled her head to see the person sat at her bedside.

Pink hair… Natsu.

‘You…’ she breathed.

Natsu felt his face break out into a grin. She was awake, at last!

Her chocolate coloured orbs locked with his and he saw how tired she still was. His expression softened. He squeezed her shoulder gently, ‘You ok?’

She sighed softly, her eyes relaxing shut.

The door creaked open, and her eyes snapped back open in panic.

Natsu immediately stilled.

‘ _ Wait… _ ’ he thought

Other members of the guild filtered in, Mirajane was bringing water for him and Lucy, Natsu remembered. The others must have insisted on coming to check on Lucy with Mira. She must have relented. They were instantly beaming at the sight of Lucy awake. They didn't see.

‘ _ Something’s wrong… _ ’

Levy burst through, smiling widely, followed by Mirajane carrying a tray with a water pitcher and two glasses then Gray, Erza, Wendy and Gajeel tailed. They came towards the bed, Levy smiling wide with arms spread open.

Natsu’s eyes widened. 

‘ _ Lucy still doesn't remember! _ ’

Before he could stop them approaching, Lucy screamed.

Everyone froze in place, confused. Lucy shrieked hysterically, flailing on the bed to pull away from everyone.

‘No!’ She howled, ‘No! No, stay away from me!’

She was shaking. Her stitches must’ve pulled loose in her thrashing, Natsu realised, he could smell her blood.

Mirajane rose one hand from the tray disarmingly, ‘Lucy, it’s  _ us _ ’

But the blonde wouldn’t hear it. She shook her head furiously, and cowered behind Natsu, who looked about as stunned as everyone else in the room. Her hand was bleeding. He belatedly noticed through the bandages.

‘Go away…!’ She sobbed, her voice hoarse. Her eyes flashed with terror. Natsu was safe. Natsu would keep her safe.

‘Alright, everyone out!’ a feminine voice barked, ‘Let me see my patient.’ 

They all parted, still staring at Lucy in shock, as Porlyusica marched through. Her usual harsh gaze softened when it landed on the frightened woman and she lifted an eyebrow to Natsu, who was still acting as a human shield.

Lucy didn’t seem to notice her.

Porlyusica turned back to the visitors.

‘Out!’ she barked.

Everyone scurried for the door. Mirajane cast one more sorrowful glance towards the blonde, placed the tray on a table by the door and then closed it behind them all.

Porlyusica sighed. In a gentler tone, she addressed Lucy, ‘Child, I need to check your wounds. They will need cleaning and re-dressing.’ She shot a quizzical look to Natsu.

Lucy still quivered, her eyes now fixed on the healer. She moved closer to the dragon slayer. He tore his eyes away from Porlyusica to stare at Lucy.

‘Natsu…’

His stomach flipped when she whimpered his name. With careful and deliberate movements, he reached for her good hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze.

‘It’s ok, Luce.’

Porlyusica watched the exchange with wise eyes. The way Lucy, somehow, still had complete and utter faith in him. The way he would do anything to protect her. The older woman briefly wondered if they saw it themselves.

Hesitantly, the blonde shuffled forward from behind Natsu, taking one more quick glance at him.

‘Don’t worry child, he can stay.’

Natsu whipped his head to look at her in surprise, to which she scowled.

‘Despite losing her memories and experiencing whatever else trauma they put her through, the girl still trusts you. Things will go smoother with you here.’

Lucy opened her mouth to speak, coughing when her throat ached in protest. The healer swiftly retrieved the pitcher and a glass, filling it with water. She offered it to Lucy. She hesitated for a moment and slowly took the glass with both hands, offering quiet ‘thank you’ in return.

She took a big gulp from the water, sighing in relief at the cool liquid soothing her throat. 

‘You… You know about my memories?’ Lucy cautiously inquired, ‘I… I can’t remember you.’   
Porlyusica nodded for her to continue, noticing how the woman placed the glass down on her bedside table, reaching again for Natsu for comfort.

‘Apart from Natsu… Anyone who i remember, or even seems familiar… I just remember them all hurting me.’ She began to chew on her lower lip.

Natsu frowned at her description, but squeezed her hand reassuringly again.

Porlyusica said nothing about the contact between the two.

‘My child,’ She began, ‘Your memories are tampered with by a very rare and dangerous fog-curse magic. Unfortunately for you, the mage was inexperienced and will have caused more harm to your psyche. Fortunately for us, I can cure the side-effects of such a thing.’

Lucy’s eyes widened, hope faintly sparking in the chocolate depths. Porlyusica continued, ‘A lot of what you remember may be false. The fact you cannot remember me means that those memories have simply been blocked from you, for now, the ones you can remember have been tampered with.’

Lucy absorbed the information with wide eyes. She swallowed timidly and asked ‘Am I safe here?’

The healer managed to look surprised but before she could answer, Natsu spoke up.

‘Of course you are, Luce!’ She swung her head to look at him, ‘This is Fairy Tail, we’re all your family here. I’ll keep you safe and so will everyone else.’ He grinned at her, his sharp fangs flashing.

She stared at him. She couldn’t remember Fairy Tail. She couldn’t remember her family. Maybe… Maybe her memories were wrong.

Lucy’s eyes fell downward to her hands, lost in thought.

Porlyusica took this opportunity to reach for the glass of water, and pulled a tonic vial from her cloak. She pulled the cork from the top and poured the full contents in.

‘This will ease your physical pain and soothe your mind. It’ll help you relax and begin to recenter yourself.’ She offered the glass back to Lucy, ‘Drink it all in one go, the taste gets worse the longer you leave the tonic to settle.’

Lucy’s mouth formed an ‘o’ shape and she brought the glass to her lips, finishing the drink. Satisfied, Porlyusica nodded.

‘Right. Let’s clean and re-dress these wounds now.’

.

A few hours later found Lucy sleeping again, with Natsu still by her bed. He’d growled when he saw the state of her hand. The flesh still looked tenderised, her guildmark barely visible beneath the blood stains. Lucy had trembled as Porlyusica wiped the limb clean, with surprisingly gentle movements, and Natsu had grinned when the pink mark could be seen again.

‘There, Luce! That’s your guildmark- proof you’re part of our family!’ She stared at the mark for a long while, familiarity warring with confusion in her eyes. Natsu thought he heard her murmur ‘family’ under her breath.

She finally tore her eyes away to address Natsu.

‘It’s the same colour…’ Her eyes had drifted to his hair then. 

A strange feeling bubbled in his chest and he barked out awkward laughter as a result, ignoring the heated feeling in his cheeks.

Lucy had hissed through clenched teeth when Porlyusica dabbed ointment on her fingertips. The old healer had said Lucy was lucky the nail bed wasn’t damaged and that, given time, her nails would grow back. The rest of her arm would take a long while, however, even with healing magic and as such had to be put in a sling. The Blonde had grimaced but nodded.

There wasn’t much difficulty cleaning and dressing her other injuries. 

The ordeal had worn out what little energy Lucy had though.

Natsu couldn’t help but wonder how warped her memories had truly become. For her to scream and recoil from her guildmates. It probably should have struck him as odd that Lucy didn’t react the same way to him. She knew his name and had some recollection of him, after all.   
It  _ should _ have occurred to him, but of course, Natsu never thought like that.

He was distracted from his worrying by a tap on the door.

His nose twitched, determining who was on the other side.

‘C’m’in Mira’ He called, keeping his voice low so as to not disturb Lucy.

Mirajane quietly opened the door, carrying a tray with two bowls of soup.

She smiled gently, though it didn’t quite meet her eyes.

‘Don’t worry, she’s sleeping.’ Natsu told her, keeping his eyes trained on the sleeping form. His attentiveness to Lucy warmed Mirajane’s smile.

‘How is she doing?’ Mira spoke quietly, then added, ‘I brought chicken soup, in case either of you were hungry’

Natsu grinned at Mira then, ‘Thanks! Her wounds are healing, Porly thinks her nails will grow back eventually. Her bones are going to take a while to heal.’

His expression morphed into a frown, ‘Her memories will take longer.’

Mira sat on the foot of the bed, placing the tray down beside her.

‘She’s still got all of us, even if she doesn’t remember right now.’ Mira reached forward and brushed a few golden strands out of Lucy’s face, ‘the twins were excited for her return too. They love their Aunty Lucy already!’ Mira smiled, thinking of the two newest members of the guild. ‘I can’t believe they’re 2 this year, they already know so many words. That’s hardly surprising, given that they’re Levy’s kids.’   
Natsu chuckled in agreement, ‘Who’d have thought metal lugs would make such a soft dad?’ He grinned. Natsu couldn’t deny that the pair made excellent parents, or how happy the guild had been when Levy announced her pregnancy, not long after Lucy published her first book. The twins both had wild hair, a shade darker blue than their Mother’s. Their daughter, Shutora, had eyes shaped like her mother and their son, Yajeh, had his father’s eyes. They were both smart like their Mother, too. Little trouble makers.

The guild loved them. Natsu included.

‘Asuka might be able to keep Shutora and Yajeh entertained until Luce is better’

Asuka was almost nine years old now (eight-and-three-quarters old, if asked) and adored having the twins to play with.

Mira giggled at the small chit-chat between them. She hoped she could help ease Natsu’s worries, and in truth, to soothe her own anxiety.

The best subject to lift Mira’s mood? 

Her favourite ships in the guild, obviously!

She crossed one leg over the other, leaning forward to rest her elbow on her knee and prop her chin up. 

‘At least one of my ships has sailed.’ she sighed dreamily, and Natsu snorted in amusement. ‘I hear Gray was thinking of asking Juvia to move in with him,’ her eyes sparkled, and Natsu groaned.

‘Don’t talk to me about the Ice Princess, Mira!’ The dragon slayer whined.

Mira giggled again, and then a sly smile crossed her features.

‘So what about you and Lucy?’

She had asked him this so many times, and so many times he’d growled or rolled his eyes or deadpan asked her what she meant.

But this time he sputtered. Quite uncharacteristically so.

‘We’re just friends!’ He whined, averting his eyes from Mira and glancing at Lucy in the bed. 

Mira chuckled good-naturedly, ‘If you say so, Natsu! But you know where to find me when you want romantic advice!’ 

She winked at the blushing slayer and then took her leave from the room.

His gaze lingered on the blonde.

‘Luce? How long you been awake?’

She twitched in the bed, then her chocolate orbs sheepishly peeked up at him through long lashes and it did bizarre things to his insides.

He cleared his throat, and reached the two bowls of soup left by Mira.

‘Mira brought soup.’ he grumbled awkwardly. He missed the blush on her cheeks, too busy avoiding looking at her for the sake of his own sanity.

He stiffly handed the bowl and a spoon to her, grumbling under his breath. He drank his soup straight from the bowl.

When he turned he noticed her grimacing at the broth.

‘Luce?’

‘Its cold’ she pouted, looking unbelievably adorable as she did. Natsu sighed through his nose and grinned, ‘Well, pass it here then!’ he said, outstretching his hand.

Bewildered, Lucy slowly put the bowl in his palm. He cupped it with both hands, a look of utter concentration on his face. His hands steadily built up heat, warming the soup through. Just to be sure though, he carefully exhaled through his mouth, concentrating all his energy on the small flames to heat up the soup, without burning the bowl or making it too hot.

Satisfied when he saw steam rolling up, he grinned, offering the bowl back to Lucy. His heart stuttered in his chest at the look of awe and wonder that shone in her eyes.

She graciously accepted and hummed in delight when she took her first sip.

‘Thank you, Natsu’ She smiled warmly and he wondered how he ever survived her smiles before.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ta-daa! Some small fluff to finish off :)  
As always, thank you all so much for every kudos/like/review/comment <3  
They mean the world to me, and really help me carry on writing this fic.  
I'm hoping to channel some of that energy into Beautifully Deadly soon, since that's already approaching it's first birthday :o  
Anyways, updates WILL be slower from here on out. I just hope its worth it for you all ^^;  
see you in two weeks, Lovelies!
> 
> \- Mj xxx


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone!  
I am so sorry this is a day late! My bad!  
I ended up working all day yesterday and totally forgot. There are things happening IRL lately, but I won't keep you all before the chapter.  
I hope you all enjoy reading this one!  
See you on the other side.

Misty Celare had already decided that she did not like imprisonment. She sat on the floor of her cell, which was effectively a floating glass bauble. She couldn’t see outside of it, but the guards could see in when they checked on her.

She hadn’t succeeded in her mission to retrieve those golden keys. She bitterly wondered what became of the rest of her stolen treasures. They must have been seized by the Rune Knights, surely.

Misty shrugged one shoulder to herself. At least Her Master knew about that Heartfilia mage. A malicious sneer crept across Misty’s face. Although Her Master had not divulged the information to her, they knew of the marks that had taken the blondes’ arm while she was unconscious.

Misty Celare had this small victory to relish in, at the very least.

Her Master would be coming after Lucy Heartfilia.

.

Lucy herself was sitting up in her bed, slowly waking up to her fourth day back in Fairy Tail. All her injuries ached and she was still petrified of everyone she could remember. So much so, that it took her a minute to realise she was trembling.

She turned her head, immediately seeking out Natsu for comfort. Only to be faced with an empty chair at her bedside. She felt her blood run cold. The only thing that remained was a white scaled scarf beside her pillow.

Lucy began to panic. All the fears and worries crawled up her spine, clouding her judgement. She needed to escape. She wasn’t safe here. They were going to come and hurt her. _ She wasn’t safe _ . Her hands were shaking furiously now. Adrenaline and terror coursed through her.

She felt like she couldn't  _ breathe _ . 

Her eyes snapped to the door when she heard the latch creak.

Her breath caught in her throat, choking her. Her heart was thundering wildly in her chest.

_ She had to protect herself _ !

Wild eyes dashed to the bedside table, seeing the water pitcher still there. The instant the door pushed open, she hurled the glass pitcher towards it, a strangled shriek coming from her.

'Get away!!'

She flinched back, screwing her eyes shut, tremors racking her frame.

Luckily for the person entering, he had sharp senses and even sharper reflexes. He reacted on instinct, swiftly snatching the pitcher out the air.

He closed the door behind him, quickly, so no one else would follow him in and further frighten the poor woman. He couldn't hide his concern when he reached the bed, especially seeing how she whimpered at his approach.

'Luce?'

Slowly, she peeked through blonde lashes. Relief flooded her so profoundly that she burst into tears.

Natsu startled, taken aback, and sat beside her on the bed, looping one arm around her. He frowned softly, pulling her into a soft embrace.

'you ok?'

She shook her head, and her voice broke in a sob. 'No. I thought you'd gone! I don't know what's real anymore. I don't feel safe…'

'Luce, I won't leave you, ok? Besides, I left you with my scarf, right?' he beamed at her, 'Do you remember my scarf?'

She blinked up at him, tears still pooling in her eyes. A scarf… the white scaled scarf? The more she dwelled on it, the more familiar it felt. In the dreams she had of him, he always wore it.

_ And there was the book, too _ .

Deciding to ask about the book later, she spoke carefully, allowing the words to form for her.

'Your scarf… it was,' she scrunched up her nose in thought (something Natsu found strangely adorable), 'from your Father… Igneel?'

His grin grew wider.

'Yea, that's right! So you know I'll always come back for it'

The way he smiled at her made her believe that he thought that was enough explanation. The corners of her mouth twitched slightly into a small, watery smile. Perhaps it was. It was his way of saying he was coming back to her.

She wiped away the tears from her eyes, if Natsu was here, she was safe, right?

It dawned on her that while she stayed here, she would be afraid. She knew that while she lacked her true memories and remained traumatised, she couldn't trust anyone but Natsu. Even the healing Lady, Porlyusica, made her anxious. Her road to recovery was going to be a long one.

She gnawed on her lip, her one good hand gripping Natsu.

He cocked his head, silently asking her what was wrong.

'I… I don't think I can stay here.' she admitted quietly, 'I know this was…  _ is _ my guild. But I… still can't remember. All I know is that I'm terrified. What if this is wrong? Every person I've seen in this building just takes me back to that room, and…' 

She shuddered and broke off, fighting another sob. Natsu squeezed her shoulder gently. They really had tortured her in that cell.

'Maybe I need to get better first.'she sighed softly, and somewhere deep inside, buried beneath the fog, Lucy's heart cracked at the thought she didn't feel safe in her guild. 'I have a home, right? Could I stay there to recover?’

Natsu widened his eyes at her. Lucy had always felt at home in guild, just like him. Their guildmates were their family. It was finally dawning on him just how mentally scarred Lucy had become.

But… if she was afraid of everyone she met, how would she cope in her apartment in the middle of the city? Natsu knew she still didn’t trust Porlyusica, regardless of the woman’s help healing her, thanks to her warped memories.

Partially to test the waters and partially a lack of impulse control, he asked her, ‘Do you remember it?’

She blinked at him in surprise. She indignantly found herself thinking ‘ _ of course I remember my apartment! _ ’, before finding herself wondering when she got an apartment. She felt like there was a memory, tickling the far reaches of her mind.

She frowned and mentally reached for it. It was fuzzy, and filled with fog. It started with a bath and another woman…  _ Brandish _ . Her eyes scrunched shut. Lucy clung to this memory fragment, even as she began to tremble and felt the room around her close in on her. She was powerless. In the memory, she was screaming. She couldn’t get out fast enough. She was being crushed in the building, the walls were a vice grip on her nude form. Brandish was mocking her. 

_ It hurts. _

The room shrank around her and Lucy shook her head. She didn’t want to remember. Natsu frowned, shifting to face her. He hated it when she was distressed. He squeezed her shoulders, ‘Hey... Luce! Snap out of it…!’

Lucy gasped, her chocolate brown orbs flashing open and locking onto his dark sage orbs. Time stilled for a long moment, as Natsu was lost instantly to those eyes. He completely forgot what he’d been saying. He felt hyper aware of her; the way her hand gripped his bicep, how her hair tumbled around her, the feel of her breath on his lips. How  _ soft _ she felt pressed up against him. His heart clenched painfully at the  _ sadness _ he saw in her eyes. Lucy should never look like that. He swallowed and tore his gaze away. Just like that, the moment abruptly ended.

Lucy, meanwhile, was fighting to regain control over her own emotions. She had felt the sensation of being crushed. It has felt so real. She gripped Natsu, desperately searching his eyes and trying to ground herself. He smelled like burnt oak and cinnamon. She wanted to bury herself in that scent, wrap herself up in it and stay safe from the world.

'Lucy?'

'I… was being crushed. In…  _ my _ apartment?' Her voice trembled, her scattered mind unable to determine truth from falsehood. She wasn't even sure if she had an apartment. 

Natsu frowned for a moment, working out when she was referring to. He figured out that she was remembering the Alvarez war, when Brandish had broken into her apartment. But… she got out, didn't she? Lucy hasn't been crushed in the building at all. Heck, she was barely harmed, if he was remembering right. 

Was this an effect of that amnesia curse?

'But Luce… you got out of there before you were crushed.'

The blonde shook her head furiously, perhaps she did, and her memories were wrong, but she knew she wouldn't feel safe there. Natsu understood. 

She gnawed her lip and glanced down at her broken arm, hung up in the sling. Something else was on her mind. Maybe some of the other things were wrong too. A tiny glimmer of hope sparked inside her.

'Natsu… what about my home?'

She felt him staring at her quizzically, and so she clarified before he said anything else.

'The Heartfilia manor.' Maybe the visions of her mother in the cell were wrong, 'My parents will still be there, right?'

She looked back up to see the aghast expression cross the dragonslayers' face.

'They… they won't be there, Lucy.'

There was something strained in the way he spoke, something that the Blonde misunderstood. 

'Oh… are they on their way here then? That makes sense. They'd want to see me after how long I was away.' She nodded to herself, thoughtful. 'I only remember bits and pieces… Papa was very engrossed in his business for a long time. But I think we reconnected after I joined here. Mama was looking pale when I last saw her, I hope sh-'

Then she saw the horror and sheer pain cross her companion's face. Everything around her froze.

With more gentleness than Lucy would have previously thought him capable of, Natsu pulled her close to him and pressed his forehead against hers. He closed his eyes, unable to bear seeing the pain that would undoubtedly be on her face.

'Luce… I'm sorry. They're both gone.'

Her world shattered and crumbled around her.

'N-no… no. Those m-memories are wrong… they… they were wrong! No!' Her voice grew frantic and shrill, and she broke down into tears once again.

Natsu grit his teeth together and locked his jaw. He felt fury boiling within him as he listened to her sobs. Fury at the ones that did this to her, that she was forced to suffer the loss of her parents for a second time. Simultaneously, Natsu's heart panged in his chest, knowing the anguish and torment his friend was suffering. 

He felt it himself. Igneel had been within him all along, even though he'd spent all those years searching, and then when they were finally reunited, he saw his father figure brutally killed by Acnologia.

Natsu had struggled under the weight of his grief. He needed to become stronger. He needed to protect the things that mattered to him. Even if that meant abandoning  _ her _ for a year.

He raised his head to pull her closer to his chest, resting his chin atop her hair and listening to her heartwrenching sobs.

.

Lucy had cried for almost an hour. Her sobs had eased up for a bit, and she revealed that the memories of her parents were trickling back to her in a steady stream. She had spoken bitterly of her father, of his disinterest in her and his obligation to the company. Then her voice cracked, realising she never mended that broken bond with him and recalling the final time she saw him, in Acalypha.

When her tears had finally subsided, she told Natsu that she wanted to be alone for a little while. He hid his surprise, but nodded, saying he would still be nearby if she needed him. She grabbed his jacket as he rose from the bed, causing him to pause.

Lucy was uncharacteristically bashful; frowning slightly and looking away as she asked ‘c-can I hold onto your scarf?’ She’d blushed and then spluttered out ‘just until you come back.’

He chuckled at her, grinning broadly ‘Sure! I’ll be back soon!’ throwing the scaled fabric over her shoulders.

He hadn't managed to get far. He was in the conference room down the hall from the infirmary. At least, it was called the conference room. To Natsu’s knowledge, there had never been a conference in there. Storage boxes were piled up in one corner and an oval-shaped table sat in the centre of the room. He sat on the edge of the table, resting his chin on his knuckles and his feet on one of the chairs. He knew Mira would probably lynch him if she caught him.

He just didn’t have the heart to go downstairs to the bar or brawl with his guildmates. He needed to stay close. He couldn’t shake the feeling that he had to be nearby to protect Lucy, to keep her safe from further trauma.

His ears pricked up at the sound of sound of pattering footsteps. He relaxed his posture when he realised who was approaching.

‘Happy!’ he called, ‘in here.’

The footsteps paused momentarily, and then the blue feline fluttered into the room flapping his fluffy wings.

He cocked his head to the side in confusion. ‘Why aren’t you with Lucy?’

Natsu exhaled deeply ‘She forgot about her parents and asked where they were.’

Happy gasped quietly, a sad noise escaping him.

‘I had to tell her they weren’t coming, that she couldn’t go back to the mansion. She cried for ages when she remembered. She said she wants to be alone now.’ He grumbled at himself, still annoyed that Lucy had to relive that pain.

Happy nodded and glided to the table, dispelling his wings to land with a pop beside the dragon slayer.

‘Why did she want to go to the mansion?’ The exceed asked him.

Natsu shrugged one shoulder, glancing down to look at the cat. ‘She doesn’t feel safe here. Not while her memories are scrambled.’

Happy understood his friends’ hurt. The two of them had grown up in the guildhall, Happy had even been born here. To think that Lucy, their best friend and teammate, wouldn’t feel safe here was heartbreaking.

‘What about her apartment?’

‘She thinks she was crushed there by Brandish’s magic. Anyway, too many unfamiliar faces, she’d freak out.’

They sat in silence for a while. After the blonde had freaked out at seeing everyone, Happy hadn’t dared visit. He hadn’t seen her awake yet, just in case she was afraid of him too.

Happy tapped his chin, a different plan coming to mind.

‘What about our cottage?’ he pondered aloud.

‘Eh?’

‘It’s quiet, away from everyone, and the only person she’d see is you. I could stay with Carla and Wendy until she’s better.’

In a different set of circumstances, it would have probably worried Natsu that what Happy was saying made so much sense.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What did you think?  
I hope the fluff makes up for the angst lol.  
Right. So.   
I apologise for delaying the chapter. A close family friend died recently. In fact, I'll be attending the wake in a few hours.  
It's been hard. I'm very worried about my Pop. He was his best friend for nearly 50 years. I need to make sure he's ok. Skylar (my pup) has been great is cheering pops up.  
But all being well, the next chapter shall be out in 13 days. I always (minus this once) update on Thursday's (I'm looking at you, Guest reviewer!)  
For now, I hope you enjoyed and I can't wait to see what you all thought.  
Much love,
> 
> \- Mj xxx


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello strangers!  
Been a while, hasn't it?  
Oof, sorry about that.  
I wont keep you lovelies from this chapter any longer though, so!  
What you waiting for?  
I hope you enjoy it :)

Natsu and Happy had been quick to seek the approval of the Guild Master and with his agreement, the two set to work. Still unable to bring himself to leave Lucy (despite not even being in the room with her), Natsu sent Happy with his (secret) spare key to Lucy’s apartment to grab some of her things.

Of course, Mira caught wind of this plan.

She corned the dragonslayer in one of the halls, her eyes sparkling with glee. Natsu found himself figuratively stuck between a rock and a hard place. He was backing up from her, holding his hands in front of him in surrender and could feel a bead of sweat running down his neck.

The She-devil was practically bouncing with excitement and her expression told Natsu that he wasn’t getting out of this one easily.

‘E-easy, Mira…’ He tried in vain to dissuade the passionate (obsessive) matchmaker. But the air around her was absolutely vibrating with energy and her face split into a wide smile.

‘So, Natsu, What’s going on with you and Lucy?’ Her shipper heart was clearly sailing. ‘Did you finally make a move on her?’

Natsu could feel his face heating up, and not in a way that familiar to his flames. He shook his head hurriedly and his mouth opened and closed like a fish, finding himself unable to respond to _ that _.

Mira giggled, positively buzzing.

Honestly, Natsu thought he could see sparkles and hearts spiralling upwards from the woman.

‘When will you tell her you’re in Love with her?’

Natsu choked. Feeling his face turn beet red, he waved his hands frantically, spluttering ‘M-m-mira!’

She squealed excitedly, bouncing on the spot.

He shook his head furiously. If his face got any hotter, he was sure steam would be coming out his ears. ‘Mira, We’re _ just friends _…’ He whined.

But she only smiled, and he knew she wasn’t quitting her tirade yet. 

Thankfully, she relented. For now.

The grin she wore had him still feeling unnerved. Like she knew something he didn't. It made him nervous.

She just giggled.

'it's ok, I'll stop teasing you. Do you need help moving her stuff?'

Cautiously, with narrowed eyes, the dragon slayer lowered his hands. He glared at her in suspicion, before deciding that yes, he probably could do with her help.

'Yea… I don't know what stuff she'll need.' he looked away and reached up to awkwardly scratch at his neck, an old habit developed from tugging on his scarf and his fingertips traced over an old scar instead.

The She-Devil's smile softened. 'that's ok, I think I can grab her essentials. I have a spare key to let you in?' 

Natsu shrugged, and answered without thinking.

'Nah, s'okay. I sent Happy ahead with my key already.'

When he heard her squealing excitedly, he immediately regretted his choice of words. If only his filter had kicked in in time!

He blanched as she leapt forward and hugged him in delight, yet more sparkles and hearts emanating from her.

'you really are growing up! You're making progress!!'

He honestly didn't know how to dissuade her from this crusade and realised grimly that he was going to be getting a lot of this now.

.

After _ eventually _ peeling Mira off of him, and then fending off Erza (who had also caught wind of his plans and was on a mission to "defend Lucy's honour from his perverse fantasies"), Natsu was retreating back to Lucy's room for his own safety.

She startled when he burst through the door and quickly locked it behind him. The dragon slayer heaved a sigh and knocked his forehead against the wooden surface.

'Natsu?'

He whirled around at the sound of his name, surprised to see Lucy sat on the edge of her bed. She looked equally supposed by his sudden entrance, and he cursed himself for momentarily forgetting her trauma.

'Shit. Did I scare you?' he gulped guiltily.

Thankfully, she shook her head. 'No, I just didn't expect you to burst in like that.'

He felt himself relax, relieved she wasn't freaking out. She was slowly but surely getting better. Although maybe she was just getting used to his antics again. He noticed then that she was wearing his scarf and it did funny things to his insides. Before he could dwell on that for too long, his eyes dropped down to her legs.

Lucy's legs were still bandaged and one still in a splint. There was some blood seeping through the white fabric.

'Luce, you're bleeding' he frowned, worrying again.

'I wanted to open the window.' she admitted, gesturing to her legs, 'I guess they're not healed enough for me to walk yet. I didn't want to call or anyone to come in.'

Natsu paused and silence hung heavily in the air for a moment. He cleared his throat somewhat awkwardly.

'Did you want me to go?'

'No!' she quickly spoke, 'I didn't mean it like that, I just… I still don't feel safe around these people.'

Lucy was looking worried again, and started to gnaw on her bruised lip.

'I don't know what I'm going to do. I can't hide here forever.'

The scent of salt stung Natsu's nose. He couldn't help himself. A small whine escaped his throat and he swiftly moved beside her. _ Something _ inside him needed to comfort her. The same _ something _ that couldn't get enough of seeing her in his scarf.

The gears in his brain clicked into action and he found himself thinking that now would be a good time to tell her his idea.

Well, as good a time as any.

'Actually, Luce, I've been thinking about that.'

He rubbed the back of his neck again, holding his breath. The blonde turned glassy brown eyes to him, and inclined her head for him to continue.

His words tumbled from him in a whoosh.

'Well, my house is just outside the city, in the woods, it's pretty quiet, and there wouldn't be people around, Happy has even volunteered to stay with Wendy and Carla, so you're seeing as few strangers as possible and-'

'Ok.'

'wait, what? Really?'

Lucy was looking at him calmly now. She gave him a small, watery, smile and wiped at her eyes. He blinked several times. He was sure she would have called him a pervert or screamed or something. His face split into a wide grin.

'Awesome! You're really sure?'

The blonde couldn't help but chuckle at his childlike excitement. It made her cheeks feel warm and she buried her chin in the scaled fabric.

'I'm sure, Natsu. I know I can trust you, and it'll just be the two of us.' Her cheeks flushed more and butterflies flitted in her stomach. 'Maybe I can find my memories more easily that way.' she hastily added.

Natsu squeezed her hand, meeting her eyes. He felt the same nerves dancing around inside him too and ignored them, instead grinning at the woman beside him. She was his best friend and he was determined to help her make a full recovery.

But first…

'Before we get you ready to move in, I should probably get Porly to come and change those bandages first.'

.

It took just a few hours to get Lucy's injuries checked over. She was given another dose of healing drafts and had clean bandages replaced. Porlyusica reluctantly agreed that Lucy could be moved in her current state and may benefit from recovering somewhere more secluded.

During this time, Mirajane and Happy together packed all of Lucy's essentials and got them moved in to the cottage, and of course moved Happy's fish stash to the guildhall.

She was all ready to be moved as soon as she felt ready to go.

Loke was even made aware of the plans, thanks to some loopholes and another certain celestial mage. 

Loke had collapsed in relief at the news of his beloved mistress's rescue. But since he was still bound by his oath to not return to her until she called, he hadn't been able to appear in the guildhall to visit.

Thanks to a jumbled amicable network of mutual connections, however, Yukino had offered to send a message to the lion spirit through one of her own keys.

As such, he was waiting until the signal that Lucy was moved and settling in before crossing the gate to visit again. Since she hadn't already called for him, he figured that he was out of her memory's grasp at the moment. He could only hope she'd recall him soon. They all missed her terribly.

As did all her guild mates. They all wanted to wish her well and see her off, but they knew that they couldn't. She'd be terrified, traumatised by the abuse she'd been put through. Levy tried to explain to her twins why they couldn't see Aunt Lucy, until Gajeel laid a hand on her back and simply explained 'her memories are poorly and she needs to get better first. ' 

Cana watched the exchange somewhat sourly. She felt their upset, of course, it was sourness directed at the scum that had hurt their friend, and indirectly hurt the guild. Everyone loved Lucy. Cana included. She kept scanning her cards, between taking swigs out her wine bottle, looking for ways to ease Lucy's mind and suffering, so they could all rejoice in her safety. She still hadn't found an answer. The cards were just offering confusion and making no sense. Plus, she was on her 5th bottle of wine. She was slacking today. 

The card mage turned to look at the balcony doors opening, revealing Makarov and Mirajane.

'Alright, brats, '

A small grin twitched Cana's face. At least some things never changed. Makarov's voice boomed out across the hall.

'Lucy is ready to leave any second now. Natsu will be guiding her through here on their departure. I just need to you to all stand still for a moment. '

With a simple, circular gesture and a muttered incantation, the aged Master threw magic imbued dust into the air. 

'This way, Lucy won't see us. She won't have to suffer seeing us and having flashbacks.' a shadow crossed the man's face, so pained he felt, for having to deceive one of his 'children'.

They all just hoped this seclusion would help her recover. 

.

Natsu and Lucy made it to his cottage without any incidents. Natsu had felt on high alert, desperate to protect Lucy from anything that would frighten her. He'd held her hand the whole way and felt how she trembled anxiously. Her eyes had been wide, darting around to look at every person, every shadow, every little movement. 

Natsu had squeezed her hand, flashing her a smile and tugging her along when he sensed her getting overwhelmed.

Now, they entered through the cottage door, and Natsu released her hand to close it behind them. 

Lucy stepped forward, looking around the small sitting room. It was cosy, and she decided immediately that she liked it. Even the tree growing through the centre of the room, essentially filling a wall, she found charming. She wondered if the hammock was a comfortable as it looked, but then wrinkled her nose, deciding that it would be too difficult to climb in.

Most of all, she felt the familiarity of the place washing over her like a warm blanket. It was comforting.

'Luce?'

She blinked in surprise when Natsu waved a hand in her face.

'You ok? You've been spacing out for a full 5 minutes, you weirdo.' he drawled, feigning disinterest. 

Heat flooded her cheeks.

'I'm not weird!' She exclaimed indignantly and he laughed, waving her off and turning to the fireplace. 

'Whatever, Weirdo. I'll start the fire. You used to complain that it got cold in here.'

She felt unexpectedly taken aback by the remark. She couldn't remember that. But surely that was part of her missing memories.

She felt something rising to the surface in her mind though.

'... Cleaning.'

'Hahh?'

The dragon slayer squinted over his shoulder. 'do you remember somethin'?'

'I… cleaned?' slowly, she verbally put the pieces together. 'I was mad at you. You always break into my apartment, so I wanted to get you back. I busted in here and it was such a mess I ended up tidying' she chuckled, and smiled at him, her eyes sparkling.

'It was the first time I realised you hoard souvenirs! Then I think… I went home. You and Happy were sleeping on my floor!'

Natsu's jaw went slack. He felt a flush of embarrassment when she mentioned his hoarding habit, but was amazed at how well her memories came back to her. He blurted, 'what else do you remember?'

His spirit sank when she shook her head. 'Nothing much else. It's like bubbles rising in water. They just drift back to me. I can't force them and until they do, I'm trapped by…'

She shivered and wrapped her arms around herself. She couldn't finish that thought. Natsu understood. She was still traumatised and it was going to take a lot of time for her to be ok again.

'S'ok Luce. How about I show you where you'll be staying?'

He scratched at his hair. In truth, he'd extended his cottage a long time ago. Something in him told him to do it. He'd even bought a bed (the largest they had at the store). Although, he had yet to sleep in it, feeling like something was still missing and he found himself content in the hammock.

Something curled in his belly at the thought of Lucy sleeping in that bed. Something possessive that purred with glee.

He took her hand and led her to the new door. She didn't protest and followed him. She had the cutest curious expression.

Not allowing himself to dwell on these strange feelings, he pushed the door open, revealing the newly-fitted large bedroom.

The way Lucy's mouth opened in an 'o' shape revealed that she remembered this wasn't here before and was amazed by it.

'Natsu… when did you do all this?'

The room was furnished with a trunk at the foot of the bed and a large wardrobe on the far wall. He even had a bookcase in the room, although it was usually bare.

All of Lucy's clothes were neatly put away in the wardrobe, and the aforementioned bookshelf had a large collection of books from Lucy's home filling the shelves.

There was one that called to the dragon slayer, that turned the fire in his belly into ice. He gulped and ignored that magnetic pull. He couldn't worry Lucy while she was recovering.

He couldn't let her see that book, either. But she'd be suspicious if he removed it now. He cursed Mira and Happy for grabbing as many books as they could, and especially for bringing _ that one _.

He squashed down the numbing anxiety and grinned at her. Lucy was still staring with wonder about the room.

'Don't you sleep in here?' she inquired, stepping towards the bed.

He shrugged.

'nah. Feels like it's missing something still. So it's yours while you're here' his fangs glinted as he flashed another grin at her.

Needless to say, he was surprised when she rushed him and flung her arms around his middle. He wrapped his arms around the blonde instinctively, pulling her into him and a small content growl slipped through his lips.

'Luce…?'

'Thank you, Natsu'

His sensitive nose once again picked up the scent of salt and he understood why her voice sounded watery. So, he gently rumbled, deep in his chest and squeezed her tight, and decided to ignore the weird things happening to his stomach.

.

It was late in the night that Natsu woke up. Or rather, very early in the morning. He'd been struggling to sleep anyway, truth be told.

Natsu may not have been the most intelligent man around, but he knew damn well how to listen to his gut and follow his instincts. Which was exactly what was bothering him now. It was like an itch he couldn't scratch. It left him irritated and confused. He'd been tossing and turning for most of the night, annoyed that his beloved hammock wasn't offering him the rest that usually came so easily. 

He wanted his hoard.

He growled. Relenting, he shifted his weight in the hammock and looked over to the corner of the room. All his mementos and memorabilia were gathered there, each with a note to explain its relevance. He just didn't get it… his hoard was _ right there _. It had never gotten under his skin like this before. 

The tired dragon slayer growled again and swung in his hammock, rolling out of it with ease. Natsu dragged his feet and glared at his collected items accusingly. Why were they keeping him awake, dammit!

He sighed. Then he turned his attention to the nearby closed door. Since he was awake anyways, he figured he should check on Lucy.

Had he been more awake, he might have thought that now was a good time to sneak away with that book. He could still feel that subtle tug on his soul, but he brushed it off and prioritised Lucy. 

The door creaked softly when he pushed it open. His eyes immediately fell on the figure under the sheets. His sharp ears picked up the sound of her breathing and he frowned sadly. With more stealth than she would have thought him capable of, he silently crept towards the bed. She was crying in her sleep. His insides twisted in a painful way seeing how she trembled. 

Natsu reached forwards and quietly peeled back the covers of the large bed. He slipped in beside the blonde and gently wrapped his arms around her, ignoring how soft she felt and the heat flooding his face. His sharp ears heard a soft sigh and she melted against his natural warmth. Natsu felt himself relax as she did, contentment settling in his chest, and finally he felt himself growing drowsy. Before he fully lost consciousness, he mentally grimaced at the probability that she would shriek and kick him out in the morning.

But he decided it would be worth it for comforting her. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Schedule, what schedule?  
So this was VERY late. I am so sorry.  
I don't really have an excuse, life got in the way unfortunately!  
I took on a second job at a yard (which my Old Man recently built a farmhouse at, funnily enough! ), my hours at my main job have been picking up a lot with the season, and I've been flustered sorting things out.  
I also recently turned down my dream job. It's just too far away and I'm sadly not in the right place in my life for it. I'm going to reapply one day though. :)  
Honestly, with this chapter, I'm just glad I got it out before my birthday lol. I hope you all enjoyed the fluff, I had fun writing it and I hope it made up for the long wait!  
Let me know what you thought :) I'll try and get another out before the end of the year, and I'm going to be picking Beautifully Deadly back up too.  
So, until next time,  
Much love,
> 
> \- Mj
> 
> // post draft update;  
My uncle died suddenly this morning. We're all in shock and utterly heartbroken. My cousin, his son, found him with his inhaler still in his hand. This doesn't feel real. He just... he wasn't OLD. He was in his 60s, he was the coolest uncle ever. My family and I are distraught. I'm sorry, but I may be a while updating my stories. Thank you for your patience. X


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a quick heads-up:  
This chapter may contain some NSFW content ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯  
Enjoy!

She was back in that cell again. Her own blood coated the walls. 

'_ This isn't real… _'

She wrapped her arms around herself, holding tight. 

'_ It's just a dream _…'

Lucy shook her head. The deranged child wasn't here. Neither was the formidable woman. The door hung open, hanging from its hinges and streaked with scorch marks. 

Lucy hesitated. Should she leave? 

She wasn't safe in here, that much she knew. But could she trust that it would be safer out there, she wondered. 

Seemingly pulled by an invisible force, she took small steps forward. Her trembling fingertips brushed the marks left on the door. Her eyebrows tugged downwards into a frown. 

'_ Natsu? _'

The magical trace that she sensed was both familiar and not. It was comforting and terrifying. It felt like a desperate warning. It screamed at her to escape. 

Something was wrong. 

'Natsu! ' 

She gasped and then sprinted out the door. She needed to find him. She needed to help him. The book. She needed to fix the book! 

It was just instincts drumming through her veins, she didn't understand what these jumbled thoughts and feelings were, nor why a book was relevant right now, all she wanted was to find Natsu. She _ needed _ him to be safe.

The scenery morphed around her. Magnolia was decimated. Buildings appeared war-torn and reduced to rubble. She could hear shouting and battle cries in the distance. Images flashed through her mind; more than one contained Natsu appearing lifeless, laid out before her. In the hospital wing, the same one she had recently spent several days in, he was bandaged up in the bed and she was beside him. Her form was slumped over in the chair and resting on his sheets.

Her heart clenched painfully at the memory. Things in her mind were slowly unravelling and becoming clear. It was the magical tumour, and she remembered how it almost killed him.

Images went through her head on fast forward and settled on Natsu unconscious again. This time his body was rapidly growing colder. It had frightened her so that his abnormal warmth had been diminished to ice cold.

Her face flushed immediately as she recalled how she'd endeavoured to warm him. A shiver ran up her spine as she remembered the feel of his nude body pressed flush against hers, the warmth of his skin on her skin. She shook her head to clear away that particular memory. Despite her embarrassment, she would do it again in a heartbeat. She couldn't lose him.

All the while, she ran through the ruins of Magnolia. Lucy's feet led the way, though she didn't know where to. The blonde mage stumbled to a halt in an ordinary street.

A strange sensation began to crawl over her skin and completely overtook her senses. It took her a few minutes to realise that she was reliving the event.

'_ Natsu's ~~~~~ is so… _'

'_ even if he's a normal boy… just why? _'

Lucy felt her eyes well up with tears. She couldn't recall this with full clarity, though, and she clenched and unclenched her hands in bitter frustration about it all. But bits and pieces kept steadily returning to her.

'_ the words are popping! _'

…

'_ he's got a serious injury somewhere! _'

Words? Injury?

It didn't quite make sense yet. Lucy frowned and searched through the fragmented pieces of her mind but it was like grasping straws. She didn't know what she was looking for.

Suddenly, a scream erupted from her and she fell to the ground. Her eyes had screwed shut with the onslaught of pain.

Her arm was _ burning _. It felt like hot pins stabbing their way out of her flesh; She was being boiled from the inside.

She forced one eye open, peeking down at her right arm and gasped sharply. Deep red marks seared along her flesh and she shrieked at the sight. This had really happened! What had caused it?

Once again, she felt an overwhelming urgency to find Natsu. He was in trouble. She just knew.

Lucy staggered to her feet. She was panting and felt terribly humid but she forced her feet to run.

Again, the scenery changed. Branches and leaves flooded her surroundings and scraped her skin. She didn't notice when the burning sensation stopped and the marks retreated from her skin.

She was getting close now. He needed her. She was so close.

She halted abruptly in an open clearing. All around her was blackened and singed, and flames dotted the landscape.

In the centre of it all, hunched over and holding himself, she saw what she'd been searching for.

Something was very wrong and she could feel her heart breaking at the sight. Deep inside, she found herself feeling distraught that she had failed.

Before she could even breathe his name, however, everything went black.

Natsu himself was also having a bad dream. He'd completely lost control of himself. The fires surrounding him spilt and swelled in waves, and it _ hurt _.

He ground his teeth together, bracing against the onslaught of agony taking over him. His skin felt raw all over, and his vision blurred from his own blood running down his face. It was flowing freely from the point on his skull where two curled horns had erupted. Now _ that _ felt like a splitting headache.

'Gah!'

His eyes screwed shut and his legs faltered.

_ What was wrong with him! _

His hands were tearing themselves apart, he watched in horror as his fingers devolved into elongated claws and made his hands look more like talons.

It _ hurt _.

His fire had never hurt him this way before. He was immune to the element after all the years of training and had been since before he even reached puberty! Why was this happening?

Natsu curled in on himself. Wrapping his arms around his middle seemed to be the only way to hold himself together at this point.

The fire wouldn't obey him and instead was ravaging his immediate environment, tearing him apart in the process.

He scrambled his thoughts together, desperately trying to figure out what sparked this change. 

There was one answer, and he wasn't sure he liked it.

The book of E.N.D.

Was that what was doing this to him?

He roared his anguish as another wave of pain rippled through him.

It was then his sensitive nose picked up a familiar, tantalising scent. He whipped his head around in panic. He couldn't control the fires; he wouldn't be able to protect her, not even from himself right now.

He threw up his hands, so desperate to keep her from this dangerous thing he'd become, and he howled.

'LUCY!!'

.

In spite of their bad dreams, the two slept through the rest of the night. Lucy began to stir as the sunlight trickled into the room and she felt enveloped in soothing warmth. She sighed softly and snuggled further under the covers.

Or at least, she tried to. Her still-tired mind was trying to catch up with her, as she realised that she was being held firmly in place. A strong, tanned arm was wrapped possessively around her middle, and as her eyes trailed the limb back to its owner she squeaked in surprise and flushed from the neck up. Natsu was in the bed with her, still fast asleep, and, as she quickly realised with a further reddening face, completely shirtless. She was completely pinned against him. Her hands covered her beetroot cheeks and her flustered thoughts ran into overdrive. 

The feeling of his firm body pressed up flush against her was achingly familiar. _ Was this a normal thing for them to do _? 

She was distracted from her overthinking when she felt something_ hard _ pressing into her backside. Lucy gasped and her face turned a deeper shade of red than she would've thought possible. She felt tingly all over, something like excitement mingled with anticipation. The implication sparked such a strange myriad of feelings inside of her, that she was quickly mortified at the heat that ignited low in her belly. Shyly, she turned to peak at the dragonslayer behind her. He grunted quietly, and one sage coloured eye cracked open.

The blonde held her breath in embarrassment. She felt Natsu's hips subtly pull back from her own, the pressure alleviating as he did. She was almost disappointed. Natsu's stare didn't waver. Inside, his heart was hammering in his ribcage and his already high body temperature inched up a notch at the compromising position he found himself in. Instead of panicking, he cleared his throat.

'... you've normally kicked me out by now.' He deadpanned. His sensitive ears heard how her heart raced almost in time with his own and a faint blush dusted his cheekbones.

Her mouth opened in a perfect 'o' shape, and once again flustered, she averted her eyes. Natsu swallowed thickly once she turned away. 

He knew damn well that he'd had his morning wood nestled in her ass, and most likely she had noticed. He felt a cold sweat drip down the back of his neck. Had Lucy been herself, he would have quite a few bruises already.

She was still so close to him. Her soft form practically melted against him. Lucy fit in his arms like she was made to be there, and his mind unintentionally wondered if they could fit together in _ other _ ways. ‘_Wait, what? _’ Natsu felt a throb deep in his gut and bit down on his tongue. 

_ Mavis _ , this woman was making it _ very _ difficult for him to will away his evident arousal. 

Lucy, meanwhile, was spiralling in her mind.

'_ I've normally kicked him out by now?! Do we do this often? Do I invite him or, does he just climb into bed with me? _'

Behind her, Natsu cleared his throat again.

'You were having a bad dream. I was already up, so…'

Obviously, her pink-haired companion thought this was enough explanation. 

'... What?'

'You were having a nightmare.'

'No, I got that part. Why does that explain why you're in my bed?!'

'... It's actually my bed.'

'You sleep in a hammock!'

Natsu grumbled to himself and Lucy sighed in exasperation. 

'will you let go of me now?'

His arm tightened around her middle in response. For some reason, unclear to even himself, the Dragonslayer didn't want to let her go. She was here, among his treasures and her very presence in his arms was doing strange things to his greedy dragon nature. He wanted to hoard her all to himself and this left him stumped at his own behaviour. But he would dwell on that later.

He growled softly by her ear and tugged her closer. A shiver ran up her spine at his proximity.

'Don't wanna.'

Then, Lucy shrieked, as if by reflex and swatted at the man beside her, 'Stop being a pervert and let go!' he only laughed in response, happy to hear his Lucy sounding like herself. ‘_ My Lucy? _’ he thought. He reluctantly released his hold, and he masked his confusion at his hesitation. He'd definitely have to think on that later, he decided.

Lucy huffed and rose to her feet. She patted down her nightwear and glanced about the room. There was something so intimate about climbing out of bed with her shirtless partner and it sent another blush over her cheeks. Especially when he knowingly smirked at her.

She quickly turned her back on him and stormed to the door, muttering about getting a shower as she left. He watched after the closed door and sighed at himself.

_ What was he doing? _

Sure, he'd always had a close relationship with Lucy, and they had frequent physical contact, and he had even snuck into her bed once or twice. But this was new. He hadn't wanted to let her go.

And that left him completely stumped.

.

Far from Magnolia, hidden in a run-down bar in the heart of an urban city, a man sat nursing his drink in a booth. He wore a large dark cloak and sat with the hood pulled up over his face. Misty Celare was incarcerated. She had failed. The group she had lead were injured, dispersed or imprisoned.

He took a sip of his drink. At least she'd provided some interesting intel. There was a woman with a demonic connection. A celestial mage, no less, from some wizard's guild.

'Fairy Tail, was it?' He thought aloud. They had only one celestial mage, should he recall correctly. But how on earth had she come into contact with a demon? He hummed in thought. He would have to go see to her himself after all. What had they called this mage?

'Lucy Heartfilia…' he rolled the name off his tongue experimentally. He wanted to know how and why she was linked to a demon. 

But first, he needed to take care of some unfinished business. 

Misty Celare had completed her role, he decided. Thick fog oozed from his sleeves and his expression morphed into what could only be called a malicious grin. He had taught the_ wretch _this accursed magic, let it stain and taint her, and now he had no further use for her. He swirled the fog between his fingers, picturing his target. 

He intended to fully strip the woman of these powers and any knowledge she'd had of them. It would return her to the pathetic woman he'd encountered a long time ago, snivelling away his feet, begging for the power to forget and hunt her enemies. 

Altering her memory to such a degree and from such a distance was bound to be painful. But alas, he had no further use for Misty Celare and this was punishment for her failures. 

With that, he finished his drink, rose from the booth and began his journey to Magnolia.

.

The hot water helped soothe Lucy's various aches and pains and served to calm her flustered mind. Her memories were returning to her, slowly but surely, but so many things remained clouded and unclear. She sighed and turned under the water. She winced at the pain that shot up her recovering leg.

Lucy absentmindedly wondered which would recover first; her mental wounds or her physical ones. 

'... will I even fully recover?'

Shaking her head, Lucy returned to her shower. 

Once she had finished rinsing off, she wrapped herself in a towel and silently reprimanded herself for not bringing her clothes in with her. 

Cautiously, she opened the door, peeking around the room. 

'Natsu?'

Not seeing him nor sensing his magic, she trotted to the bedroom and rummaged through her drawers. She quickly picked out an outfit, towel-dried herself and got dressed. 

It was then she realised she had no means to dry her hair. She groaned inwardly. She couldn't even remember a spell for it! 

Maybe Natsu had a drying lacrima? 

With that in mind, she set off to find him. Not sensing him in his cottage, she hesitated before approaching the main door. 

Outside, she heard him roar. Feeling relieved, she opened the door to see the Dragonslayer training in the yard. Fires danced perfectly in time with his fists and movements. She was mesmerised by the beauty of his magic. And then flushed crimson when she realised she was practically ogling his perfectly chiselled abs. 

His head snapped towards her immediately. 

'Luce? What you doin’ out here?' Natsu walked towards her and then frowned, lifting a damp lock of her hair from her shoulder. 'Why's your hair still wet?' He raised an eyebrow at her. 

'Ah, um! Lacrima!' She blurted, mentally cursing herself for stumbling over her words. She took a deep breath and tried again. 

'A drying lacrima. I need one to dry it. Do you have one?' She asked hopefully. 

'... Luce, my magic is fire.' He answered flatly, the corners of his mouth twitching in amusement.

_ Well _. 

Of course. Why would he need a dryer if he was, in fact, a living heater?

'Oh…'

Natsu burst into laughter. He ignored the blushing blonde swatting at his shoulder, instead he grasped her hand and led her back into the house.

'Hey! Natsu- what are you doing?' She protested, trotting after him. 

'I'll dry it for you, weirdo! You only had to ask!' 

Lucy clamped her mouth shut. She hadn't thought of that. Was this something they normally did? Instead of asking, she trotted along behind him and found herself sitting cross-legged on the floor, in front of an oval mirror, with Natsu sat at her back.

She ignored the incessant pounding in her chest, trying to focus on keeping her breathing steady. He was just drying her hair! It was a perfectly normal thing for friends to do!

...Just like spooning in the same bed.

She clapped her hands to her flaming cheeks and shook her head in embarrassment.

‘Oi, quit being weird, I don’t want to burn you.’

She heard the dragonslayer drawl behind her. Obediently, she closed her eyes, sat up and clasped her hands together and did her best to not fidget.

Natsu waited until she was still and then glanced down at his worn and calloused hands. Slowly, with more patience than he’d ever thought himself capable of, he expanded the fire in his belly. It warmed through his chest and flowed down his arms, licking just beneath the surface. He had to concentrate. Little flames flickered from his fingertips.

No, that was too much, he thought with a small shake of his head. Gently, he reigned that power back in, just enough to keep his hands warm without burning Lucy.

She’d kill him if he singed her hair.

Deciding he was the right temperature, he gingerly reached for her damp golden locks. He threaded his fingers through her strands and combed his fingers through them. Her hair was still soft, even when it was wet. 

He fell into a rhythm, scooping her hair and detangling as he dried. Natsu kept his heat constant, despite finding himself distracted and admiring her hair’s golden lustre. The dragonslayers’ magic overflowed up his arms as the minutes went by, embers flickering from his shoulders and filling the small room in a gentle glow.

Natsu was startled out of his revere when Lucy released a happy sigh. The sound made him glance at her reflection and he was awestruck.

He growled softly, the sound rumbling in his chest. At that moment, with golden tresses tumbling about her, the peaceful expression on her face, and glowing embers surrounded her, Natsu had a realisation. Lucy was utterly and breathtakingly beautiful.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi Lovelies <3  
Thank you all for your patience for this update, i hope it was worth waiting for- its just over 3000 words and with fluff and other goodness for good measure too! I also owe a huge thank you to my friend Mari for agreeing to Beta this story, honestly this chapter wouldn't be nearly as good without her input :)!  
Now, small updates. Things have been hard since my uncle's passing. We know now what caused it and i feel bitterly hurt that it was completely preventable. I feel better now than i did before, but i miss him terribly.  
Thank you all for your kind words of support on the last chapter, it really meant a lot and helped motivate me to write my heart out for you guys <3  
Anyway, Much love, i hope you enjoyed this installment :)  
until next time,  
\- Mj x

**Author's Note:**

> So there you have it! Chapter 1 of "Through Oblivion". I've got about 9.5k written so far and working on the next section. I'd love to hear what you all think; what do you think will happen from here?
> 
> I cant wait to share more of this story with all of you and see your thoughts :)
> 
> Much love,
> 
> until next time!


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